What's Not to Love About Siblings? Try Everything
by ZeDancingHobbit
Summary: Poor Mal. What has he done to deserve a delinquent sister? Cheated at poker? Bent a few rules? Well...he's about to get payment in full. Aubrey isn't about to give ANYONE an easy time.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I shouldn't start this…but this is the one I do on my iPod, so I don't feel guilty. **

**So, couple things. I don't write for games as a rule, but rules are meant to be broken. And I love this game. AND THAT LAST EPISODE MADE ME SO MAD! **

**2, if anyone knows about legal work and can help beta this for me, I would love you until the end of my days. (You know. Legal guardian custody, all zat jazz. I have no frikin idea). **

**3: Some things will be weird. I understand that. Slightly AU. Ya' know. **

**4: ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own CoD. **

**Chapter 1: Of Delinquents and Dripping**

"Crap," Aubrey muttered. She brushed her dark bangs aside and crouched behind a tall crate, praying for the police to leave. She gathered her black hoodie around her body and tugged the hood over her head, biting her lip anxiously. Her wet jeans squelched, and she froze. The red and blue lights came nearer and nearer, shining brightly in the rain that was steadily growing harder.

A policeman stepped out of the car and placed his hand on the gun at his waist. "This is the SFPD," he called. "Come out with your hands on your head."

_Dang_, she thought. She gripped the ground. _Come on, leave_. She blinked rain out of blue eyes. It dripped down her face and ran into her mouth.

"Come out now," the policeman called.

_Gonna have to run for it_, she thought grimly. She dug her heels into the pavement, bounced once, then shot out of the alleyway. Her feet pounced lightly on the pavement, legs pumping. She barreled past the policeman, and was practically home free when a hand shot out of the police car and grabbed her jacket. Aubrey struggled furiously to dislodge herself, but she was zipped up and the rain stuck her jacket to her shirt. She hung limply from the officer's grip.

"Almost let this one get past you," the officer called in an amused voice, slight southern drawl evident. The woman looked down at Aubrey sternly. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Aubrey snapped as her hands were cuffed. "I know the drill."

The officer gave a ghost of a smile as she nudged Aubrey into the back of the car. She slumped against the cushions, water puddling in the floor from her dirty converse. She heaved a gusty sigh as both officers buckled themselves in. The male pushed a button and the window wipers made the outside works visible for a moment, before it was shrouded by rain.

"It's really pouring out there, isn't it?" the male remarked.

"Shut up and drive," the woman told him. "I want to get home."

"Still got an hour."

"Would you just drive?"

"I dunno," Aubrey remarked. "I think I'm enjoying sitting back here. In the dark. Freezing cold. You know."

The woman turned around and gave her an ice cold glare. "Child, I'd be quiet if I were you."

The man chuckled. "Me too. Anna turns ugly when she's mad."

"Would you drive?" Anna demanded. "I've got a boyfriend waitin'."

The man chuckled again and started the car. It pulled out of the entrance slowly. He moved the lever and they sped away.

"So, do you get to turn on the lights?" Aubrey inquired.

"Why would we do that?" Anna asked in a bored tone.

"I dunno. They didn't last time."

"You've been like this before?"

"Once." Aubrey cocked her head, thinking. "Although, it didn't really amount to anything. Got a warning and went home."

"I don't remember you."

"Oh, yeah, 'cuz I'm sure you work 24/7," Aubrey scoffed. She folded her arms, cringing as water seeped further into her skin. "Can you turn up the heat? I'm kind of freezing."

"No." Anna sounded miffed.

Aubrey grinned. "Ok-ay."

They rode in silence, the only sounds being the rain accosting the car and the sketchy groans coming from the vehicle itself. Aubrey eyed it cautiously. Hopefully it didn't explode.

They pulled into the brightly lit parking lot next to the station, and Anna opened Aubrey's door. She grabbed Aubrey's hand and jerked her towards the door, shielding her eyes with her hand. The man held the door opened and they trudged inside.

The bright lights hurt Aubrey's eyes. She squinted, water dripping off her eyelashes. She and the two policemen made slowly widening puddles on the tiles.

Anna sighed. "C'mere." She tugged Aubrey towards the room where they did mug shots. She handed her off to a man, who gave her a black note card thing with a number on it and had her stand in front of a piece of paper with heights written on it.

"Say cheese," he ordered sarcastically.

"Rawr," she answered, making a claw hands. She did duck lips in the side profile. "YOLO," she remarked as she was ushered out the door.

She was only answered by a slight chuckle.

"So, am I dangerous or something?" she asked the woman holding her. The woman sighed and nudged her to a seat on one side of a desk. She sat in the other side and got out a pen and paper.

"Age?"

"Fantastic 15."

"Name?" The woman sounded incredibly bored.

"Aubrey."

"Last name?"

Aubrey cut her eyes. "Wonka."

The woman pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, kid, it's been a long day..."

Aubrey grinned. "Fallon."

The woman stared at her. "Are you serious? Who's your parents?"

Aubrey shifted. "Look, lady, can we get on? I'd prefer to get some somewhat dry clothes."

"Okay. What're you here for?"

"Robbed the queen of England."

The officer glared. "Aubrey..."

Aubrey snickered. "Stole her biggest hat."

Anna chose that moment to pass by, carrying a cup of coffee and reading some papers. "Broke into a house," she offered, not deigning to look."

Aubrey cursed under her breath. Officers.

After a few more pointless (according to Aubrey) questions, the officer picked up a phone. "Okay, I'm going to call your folks."

"N-no!" Aubrey exclaimed. She half rose from her seat. "You really don't have to do that."

The officer looked her over. "Who're your parents, kid?"

"None of your beeswax," Aubrey muttered.

"Mom?" the officer pushed.

"Dead, okay?" Aubrey practically shrieked. "Drop it, will you?"

The officer continued, somewhat gently, as people started glancing at them. "Father?"

"If you can find him, tell I said go where the sun doesn't shine," Aubrey answered, glaring at the table.

The blonde policewoman raised an eyebrow. "Names?"

"Maria Fallon."

"...And?"

Aubrey fidgeted again, biting her lip.

"C'mon, Aubrey."

Aubrey sighed and caved in. "Jacob Fallon."

"Oh my gosh!" the officer exclaimed. "You're kidding me!" She stood up.

"Yes, I'm kidding," Aubrey answered sarcastically. "I'm really Harriet Tubman."

But the woman wasn't listening. "Natara!" she called.

An Indian looking woman poke her head out of a cubicle. "What, Blaise?"

"Get Mal out here right now!"

"Oh no," Aubrey muttered. She sat back and closed her eyes. "Was that necessary?"

"I had no idea!" Blaise grinned. "My name is Blaise Corso, I work pretty close with Mal."

"Charmed." Aubrey cut her eyes at Blaise. "How nice to know the person to put me in jail works close to m-" She caught herself. "Mal."

"What is it, Natara?" a male voice groaned. It was coming from around the corner, and Aubrey cringed. She tried to make herself as small as possible, slouching into her soggy clothes.

"I don't know, Blaise just freaked out. Come on, or we won't be able to have any peace."

They appeared around the corner; the woman, average height, with chest length hair and Indian features, and the man, tall, brown hair, and striking blue eyes. Aubrey glared up at him.

"What, Blaise?" Mal asked.

Blaise only grinned and stared at Aubrey, who sighed and straightened.

"Well, you're looking mighty fine," she told Mal. "Got the ladies hangin' onto your every word, don'tcha?"

Mal's gaze hardened. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

Natara lifted an eyebrow. "Careful, Mal."

"Aw, that's sad, real sad, Mal. I should go cry in the corner." A side of Aubrey's mouth turned upwards. "That is, after I run your bike over a cliff."

Mal's eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly. "A…Is…Are you...?"

Aubrey inclined her head. "Nice to see you too, _brother_."


	2. Chapter 2: Of Puddles and Piles

**AN: hey guys! We're back for another round. **

**Okay, so I just watched Brave… OMG. I officially nominate King Fergus and Queen Elinor as cutest couple ever. Just sayin'. **

**Thanks to my amazing reviewers BreezyFan, But I have Promises to Keep, mozzi-girl, and Things In Ink. **

**I'm so sorry about Mal's mom's name last chapter! I have no idea why I put Maria… x\ Anyhoo, thanks for the welcomes! And, for the record, we need more Mal gets shot stories on here. Just sayin. **

**Oh, and to continue my excruciatingly random author's note, does anyone know where I can watch Doctor Who for free? **

"What the heck are you doing here, Aubrey?" Mal asked. He looked at the handcuffs binding her wrists.

"Oh, you know...stole the president's suit. It's pretty comfy." Aubrey shrugged cheekily.

"Aubrey, come on. Why are you handcuffed in the police station?" Mal looked absolutely furious.

"Broke into a house," Blaise offered.

"Aubrey," Mal groaned.

"Mal," Aubrey imitated him. She picketed her bottom lip. "Don't give me that look. I hate it."

"Well, then, you shouldn't have broken into a house! What were you thinking?"

"It's going to be torn down anyway! The bank got a hold of it. I just...wanted to have a look around."

"It's against the law, kiddo."

"Don't call me kiddo." Aubrey glared at Mal. "And since when are you one to follow rules?"

"Mal, who's this?" An Asian woman walked up, scrutinizing Aubrey with a steely eye.

Aubrey groaned. "Heck, why doesn't the secretary of state come in? The president? The emperor of China? I'm in here, world!" she screamed, eyes lifted towards the heavens.

"Calm down," Mal snapped. "Captain, this is my younger sister Aubrey. She's _supposed_ to be at my sister Cynthia's house." Mal turned to glare at his sister.

Aubrey shifted and looked away. "I plead the fifth," she answered half-heartedly.

"Why is she here?" The Captain asked.

"She broke into a house. The one over on 15th," Anna spoke up.

"The one scheduled to be leveled next week?"

"Told you," Aubrey smirked.

"That's the one," Anna went on. "Me and Joe brought her in a little while ago. Turns out she's Mal's little sis." She cut her eyes at Aubrey. "Can't you tell?"

"Hey, for the record, I look and smell a _lot_ better than Mal," Aubrey interrupted. "They used to call him Pigpen in 5th grade."

"All right, that's enough memories for now," Mal hastily spoke up amidst chuckles. "Captain, is there any way she can get off with a warning?"

"She said she'd been here once before," Joe said.

"What for?"

"Trespassing," Aubrey sighed. "Went into some field or whatnot. Nothing important. All I got was a warning."

Mal groaned. "Really, Aubrey?"

"Shut up, Mal! Nobody cares." Aubrey glowered at her older brother.

"Okay, that's enough. You should be able to get out this time, but next time you could get a heavy fine or jail." The captain raised her eyebrows at the teenager. "Delinquency is serious, Aubrey. I'd be careful if I were you."

"Officer Krupky," Aubrey began to sing under her breath, until she was stopped by a glare from Mal.

"Thank you, Captain. I'll take her home and Cynthia can pick her up tomorrow morning." Mal shook her hand. "I won't forget this."

"Just make sure she doesn't'." The captain stated pointedly at Aubrey, then turned and walked away. "Back to your work," she called over her shoulder. The crowd began to dissolve, and Mal uncuffed his sister.

"I'm going to call Cynthia," he told her. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed her number. It rang a few times, and Aubrey heard a female voice answer.

"Hey, Cynthia, it's Mal."

Aubrey cringed as she rubbed her wrists.

"What?" Mal looked confused. "No, I don't need money. Listen, I'm calling because I have a little friend here you might be interested in. Brown hair? Name rhymes with Barbary..." Mal listened, then looked offended. "Yes it does. _Yes_, it _does_." he covered the mouthpiece with his hand. "Does Aubrey rhyme with Barbary?"

"Sorry, pal. Nope." Aubrey snickered as Mal rolled his eyes and co to he'd talking.

"Yeah, she's here. ...You're joking." Mal sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you're joking." He listened for a few moments. "Okay. Okay. Before 6:30. All right. See you tomorrow morning." Mal hung up and turned towards his younger sister. He placed his hands on his hips. "Really, Aubrey?"

"Really what, Mal?" Aubrey asked innocently.

"You ran away?"

"I did not! I just...took a vacation..."

"For 2 days? Without even telling anyone? Cynthia? Raven? Heck, me?"

"And I would tell you why, exactly?" Aubrey demanded, eyes snapping up to glare at her brother.

Mal looked taken aback. "Because I'm your brother..."

"Oh, yeah, the brother that I haven't seen in 5 years," Aubrey scoffed. "There is no way in heck I would have told you."

"Why did you do it?"

"She was gonna ship me back here anyway," Aubrey shrugged.

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," she muttered, fiddling with her jeans.

Mal sighed. "Come on. I'm going to take you home."

Aubrey scowled. "And where would that be? Under the troll bridge?"

Mal shook his head and walked away. Aubrey sighed and followed him. Her wet jeans and shoes squelched on the tiles, providing a loud noise to accompany her. She grinned. Mal hated this noise.

"Who's this?" A male asked. He looked extremely nerdy and Asian, long hair dangling down to his shoulder.

"My sister," Mal grunted, clearly not wanting to talk about it. "Aubrey, Kai Kalaba. Kai, Aubrey." He continued walking down the hallway, paying no attention to Kai.

"And why would you be here?" Kai asked as he fell into stride next to Aubrey.

Aubrey lifted an eyebrow. "I stole the blueprints for an R2-D2 prototype they were going to build near here," she told him. "He's lost forever."

Kai's eyes narrowed. "Heinous," he hissed, and slunk away.  
Aubrey chortled. Oh, how she loved messing with nerds.

She stepped outside, shivering as rain pelted her just-starting-to-dry jacket. She crossed her arms and burrowed her head further into her hood, jogging towards Mal. He unlocked and entered a red, slightly beat up poking smaller car. Aubrey opened the passenger seat and hopped in as it rumbled to life.

"Sweet ride," she smirked as she buckled her seat belt.

"Shut up," he grumbled as he twisted to pull out.

She snickered as they drove down the road. The lights of the city flashed by, and soon she saw an apartment complex. He pulled up outside the building and parked the car. It powered down and he opened his door. Aubrey did the same, and followed him up a flight of stairs. Mal jingled his keys as he withdrew them from his pocket. He stuck a silver one in the lock of the door, but it didn't budge. Growling under his breath, the detective wiggled the poor metal device. He slammed the door with his fist, and it opened without an argument.

Aubrey raised her eyebrows. "Nice move, slick." They entered the small, dark apartment, flicking on lights.

"Guest bedroom's in there," he muttered as he pointed to a room down the hallway. "Food in the fridge. I'm going to bed. Cynthia's coming by 6:30, so make sure you're up."

Aubrey shrugged as he slammed a door. "Touchy." She let her gaze wander about her surroundings. Dirty dishes in the sink, laundry on the floor, books on the coffee table, coffee on the TV stand... "Yeesh." She located a stray laundry basket and stole a t-shirt. She smelled it and decided it was semi-clean, so she entered the guest bedroom/study/library/dining room/whatever crap was in there and slipped the shirt over her head. She shoved some clothes and a few files off the bed and drew up the covers. Sighing, she nestled down into her pillow.

Pausing, she frowned. What was digging into her head? She rummaged around in the pillow case and found a stray pair of ear buds. "Oh, Mal," she sighed, and threw the electronic device on the floor.  
She'd had enough for one day.

**Toodle-oo! **


	3. Chapter 3: Of Cereal and Sentances

**Hey! Sorry about the wait. I've been super über busy lately with a conference, and the holiday, and MY BIRTHDAY SOON! :D Suzy is happy.**

**Anyhoo, thanks a bunch for the reviews. They mean a lot! :D  
3 things:**

**1: I'm sorry if you see glaring mistakes. Like last chapter, I meant to say 'continued', and it said 'co to he'd'. I apologize. I wrote this in my iPod, so I'm sorry! D:**

**2: the characters will be using minor swear words. (Mostly hell). I do not swear in real life, but the characters do, so, I gotta keep 'em in character. I do not swear or use God's name in vain myself.**

**3: If you know who is responsible for the awesome cover photo I found on google, could you tell me so I can give them credit? I thought it was pretty appropriate...**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue.**

"Aubrey!"

Bang bang bang.

Aubrey lifted her head slightly. What on earth? She looked around, let her bleary eyes focus on her messy surroundings, and groaned. "Nngh." Her head flopped back in her pillow. Oh. That's right. She was stuck at her brother's house, waiting for her sister to come pick her up. The sister that undoubtedly was going to be furious. And that was after she ran away and broke into a house. Oh, the joy.

"Aubrey! Wake up! It's six o'clock and Cynthia's going to be here soon!"

"Shut _up_!" Aubrey screamed, grabbing a pillow and launching it at the door. It hit the wood with a thud, sliding down to meet the floor. She groaned. Great. Now she'd never get back to sleep.

Bang bang bang.

"I'm _coming_!" she snarled. She plucked her crumpled and dirty jeans from the floor and slid them on, not bothering to change out of Mal's t-shirt. Muttering under her breath, she yanked the door open.

"Finally, you're up." Mal stepped out of the doorway. "There's cereal in the pantry, and-" Mal paused and blinked. "Is that my t-shirt? Are you wearing my t-shirt?"

"Suck it," Aubrey snapped, and rubbed her face. "Dude, you really should get a maid or something. You're never gonna get chicks in here with a dump like this."

Mal tensed his jaw. "I will have you know, I could get any girl in here any time," he said in a stiff voice.

"Yeah, sure. A blind one." Aubrey opened the pantry door. She perused the cluttered shelf. "Let's see...Mac and cheese...soup...Hamburger Helper...ah, here we are." She crouched and ran her fingers over the cereal boxes haphazardly strewn about. "Lessee...Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, Cap'n Crunch... Geez, you really are setting a healthy example, aren't you?" she snarked as she grabbed the box of Cocoa Puffs.

Mal rolled his eyes as he poured himself some more coffee. Aubrey grabbed a clean (hopefully) bowl from the drying rack in the sink and shook out the cereal from the colorful box. She grabbed a spoon, poured herself some milk, and thumped to the couch. With a sigh, she plopped down.

"Come on, Cynth," Mal muttered, glancing at the clock. 6:15.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, and Mal flew to answer. He jerked the door open and practically dragged Cynthia inside. "Cynth, my savior, you've arrived!"

"Hi, Mal," Cynthia answered warily. She glanced around the apartment. "I like your space."

Mal deadpanned, and Aubrey crowed in victory. "Ha! Sometimes I really love you, Cynthia."

"Yeah, well, you're not going to for long."

Aubrey cringed and held the spoon out like a sword as Cynthia stalked towards her. Placing her hands on her hips, the furious sister began to start a lengthy lecture.

"What on earth were you thinking? Aubrey, I am so disappointed in you! How could you run off like that?"

"It was a vacation," Aubrey offered weakly. She dug her spoon into her cereal sludge as Cynthia continued.

"I can't believe this. You are fifteen years old, Aubs. You're old enough to know this is not right. And breakig into a house? You could have gone to jail!"

"It was gonna be torn down anyways!"

"I don't care! Thank God the bank didn't press charges, or we would've had a scandal on our hands!"

"Then you could just be my lawyer and rescue me," Aubrey pointed out as she patted Cynthia's hand Ina comforting manner.

"Sure! I'd tell you to plead guilty by reason of TOTAL and UTTER INSANITY!" Cynthia was mad. Not just grumpy. Mad. Like tear out your hair and scream 'til kingdom come mad. It was scary.

"Why did you do it? It was completely irresponsible! You've made me inconvenienced, you've made the police inconvenienced, and you've made Mal inconvenienced! What on earth-"

"Well you were gonna ship me off here anyways!" Aubrey yelled at Cynthia, slamming her bowl down with a bang.

Mal glanced at Cunthia warily. "What?"

Cynthia glared at Aubrey, then turned to Mal with a sigh. "Mal, I have a big favor to ask. I was going to ask in private, but now..." She paused to glare at Aubrey. "I...I need you to watch Aubrey for a month or two."

"What?" Mal squawked. "You're kidding me."

"No, Mal, I'm not. Mitch's mom is sick, and we wanted to take Denni up to see her before she dies. Raven's at college, or we'd take her too, but there's just no room for Aubrey. Not that we don't love her," Cynthia added hastily, "it's just that we can't take her."

"What, you mean she can't share a room with Denni?"

"Denni's going to be on the couch in the living room."

"And Aubrey can't have the other one?"

"How many couches do you think Mitch's mom has, Mal?"

"Don't the girls have school?"

"Denni's homeschooling while we're there, and Aubrey can transfer to this district while we're gone.

"Mal, please," Cynthua begged, "can you watch her? She's your sister." She looked at Mal so pitifully, with eyes so full of pleading, that Mal just couldn't resist.

"Uugh," he groaned as he flopped on the couch, racking his mind for an excuse not to watch Aubrey.

"What about break? I can't watch her all the time."

"Okay, for starters, she is fifteen now, and can take care of herself, and second, she is right frikin' next to you," Aubrey snapped, looking irritated. "Stop talking like I'm in the other room, geez."

"Aubrey, hush," Cynthia ordered. "Go get dressed."

"Fine," Aubrey groaned, and rose. She rinsed her bowl out and stalked to the guest bedroom.

Cynthia sighed and turned bak to Mal. "Please?"

"Cynth, I..." Mal paused to gather his thoughts. "I don't think I can do this. She is a handful-"

"That I've been putting up with for the last 6 years, Mal." Cynthia sat next to him. "I would be asking if I didn't think you could do it. She's your sister, Mal. You could invest in her a bit."

"What do you mean? I've invested in her-"

"Mal." Cynthia could see through his act. "You haven't contacted us in the last 5 years."

"I...I..."

"Please, Mal. It could be good for you. Spend a little family time."

Mal scoffed. "Yeah, sure."

"Come on, give her some credit. She's not all bad." Cynthia placed a smooth hand in his knee. "Please? Just for a few months."

Mal groaned and punched a pillow. "Fine."

"Ah, thank you, Mal. You have no idea how much of a help this is." Cynthia stood up. "I'll let you get to work. Aubrey! Let's go!"

"Coming, coming," Aubrey groused, jerking the door open. "What's my sentence?"

"In two weeks, you'll be staying at Mal's house!" Cynthia put on a fake-happy expression.

"And there was much rejoicing," Aubrey replied with absolutely no expression in her tone. "Let's go."

OoOoO

"What were you thinking, Aubrey?" Cybthia demanded, fifteen minutes into the car ride.

"At which point?"

"Why did you run away?"

"I didn't run away, I figured I'd save you the trouble of shipping me off to a brother I don't care about and clearly doesn't care about me." Aubrey glared out the window.

"What are you talking about? Mal loves you, Aubrey." Cynthia glanced over towards her younger sister, concerned.

"Yeah, sure," Aubrey snorted. "He cares about me so much that he sees me once every five years. Oh yes! How loving!"

Cynthia sighed. "Come on, Aubs. Give him some credit. He's busy."

"So busy that he blows off every single Christmas with us 5 years straight? That was…that was the only thing I wanted, and he just skipped out." Aubrey gripped her seatbelt. "And you know what? Frankly, I don't care. I really don't. He's a butt, and I don't care."

"Aubrey..."

"Enough, Cynth. I don't wanna talk about it."

They sat in stony silence for the next five minutes, the only noise being the whirrings coming from Cynthia's car. The silver vehicle pulled up into the driveway and sputtered to a halt.

Cynthia unbuckled, then stopped. "I'm not going to punish you," She told her younger sister. "I think going to Mal's is punishment enough, if you're this mad about it. But if this happens again..."

"All hell is gonna break loose," Aubrey finished in a Stoick accent.

Cynthia smiled. "Precisely."

They exited the vehicle, snapping doors shut behind them. The screen door opened and a blur of jeans and purple hair came flying out the door.

"Oh my god you're back I was so worried I can't believe you found her what did you do why did you go to the police station I can't believe mom didn't kill you-"

"Denni," Cynthia interrupted, "relax."

"Oh," Denni paused and blushed, "sorry. Seriously though, what did you do?"

"Broke into a house," Aubrey answered, checking out her nails in a completely uninterested way.

"Oh my god! Really?" Denni looked impressed, and Cynthia decide to step in.

"Yes, and she knows she's not supposed to do it anymore. If she does, there will be grave consequences. Right, Aubrey?"

"Yesh marm," Aubrey agreed as she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Get in there," Cynthia ordered as she smacked her hand lightly on the teen's butt. Aubrey smirked and strutted inside, Denni chattering alongside her.

Cynthia sighed and raised her eyes. "I hope I'm doing the right thing," she murmured.

**Those who review get cyber llamas! And those who catch the movie reference (and what movie it was from) will receive a complimentary soap basket! ;D**


	4. Chapter 4: Of Red and Rules

**Hey guys! Soooo...Now that the iPod thing is good, you'll Definetely be getting more updates(: Yay! **

**Has anyone seen the new Spiderman? Omg it was sooooo good. You need to watch it(:**

**Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue. **

Aubrey sighed and moved down the hallway, shifting her backpack further up her shoulder. She studied the floor, watching her converse clad feet traverse over the white tiles. They squeaked softly, heralding her arrival.

Someone smacked into her without warning, making her stagger and drop to the floor. The mysterious presence fell on top of her, squishing her stomach.

"Ugh, get off me, dweeb," she snapped.

"Watch where you're standing, weirdo," the person retorted, standing up and dusting himself off. "Get a life."

"Oh, Adam," she sighed, watching him with an expression of mixed disgust and pity, "don't you know that is the oldest insult in the book?" She heaved herself off the floor and shouldered her bag once more. "Let's get some originality classes, shall we?"

Adam rolled his eyes and walked away, flipping the bird over his shoulder.

"Yeah, same to you, pal!" Aubrey called. She groaned and turned around. "Oh, I cannot wait to get out of here." She trudged to her locker, twisted in the code, and was about to open it when an unfortunate sound came to her ears.

"Look at those shoes."

"Ugh. She wore that shirt last week."

"Can't she get some fashion sense?"

Aubrey closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the locker. "'Morning, ladies," she sighed, "out for our daily insult-fest?" She lifted her head to view the trio cooly.

The ringleader, Arianna, was a buxom blonde with the "rich dad". Next came Deena, also blonde, who did the dirty work. And last was Katherine. With brown hair, big lashes, and the most buxom chest, she was the one they sent to the boys when they wanted information. All mean, all dirty, all bad. They were the bane of Aubrey's existence. It was very Mean Girls-esque.

"Ooh, look, it's the nun," Arianna retorted, studying Aubrey's figure thoroughly. "You know, I think if you stuffed you might have the figure of a twelve year old."

"Really?" Aubrey feigned excitement. "Like, OMG, are you totes sers? Like, I should totally, like, do exactly as you say! OMG! Ha ha ha ha NO." She glared at the girls. "In case you haven't noticed, I'd rather not attract only creeper guys like you."

Arianna blinked, looking slightly confused. "But I'm not dating a creeper."

"Who's your boyfriend?"

"Derek Jones."

"He's nineteen. Case in point."

"He loves me," Arianna huffed. "Anyway, I didn't come to talk about my love life. We just came to wish you a happy last day of school here."

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "...Thanks."

"Anyway, we have a present for you." Arianna motioned Deena forward. She stepped to Aubrey and handed her an umbrella. It was clear, with a metal handle. Very simple and practical. Aubrey hesitantly reached forward and took it from Deena's grasp.

"An umbrella? Wow, and it doesn't have any sparkles." Aubrey studied the accessory. "What's this for?"

"Oh, nothing. Come on, girls." The trio flounced away, and Aubrey turned back to her locker. "Yeesh." She opened the handle, and had time to notice a strange clicking aound before a metal claw immediately bombarded her with a blast of red paint. She gasped and lifted a hand to her jacket, the appendage coming away sticky and bright tomato red. Her favorite, most comfy jacket. Ruined. Those dorty rotten... She growled and slammed the locker shut, spattering more paint everywhere. She stomped off to the sound of tittering and laughing from other students in the hallway, already fantasizing about ways to finish off the loathsome trio.

She cornered the girls next to the drinking fountain. Arianna was bending over, conveniently broadcasting her rear end for all the males to see. After a cough from Aubrey, she straightened up to see Aubrey's furious, red speckled face thrust towards her own.

"Woah, Fallon, personal space violation much?" Arianna backtracked away from the fountain and the furious Fallon.

"Really, Arianna?" Aubrey snarled, stepping forwards.

"Really what?" The blonde studied Aubrey. "I see you didn't use the umbrella."

"Well, I wasn't expecting to have to use it inside."

Arianna shrugged. "Not my fault."

"You know what? You have completely ruined my school experience ever since second grade. You couldn't just let me have my last day in peace?"

"Aw, now where would the fun be in that? It wa just a little parting present," Arianna clucked, making pitiful puppy eyes.

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "You want fun? You want a present? Okay, fine. I've got something for you." She half turned around, leading Arianna to believe she was leaving.

"Loser," Arianna sneered.

Aubrey pivoted around, brought her fist up, and let it connect with Arianna's nose with a sickening crunch.

Arianna let loose a loud, piercing wail and collapsed to the floor, holding her nose in her hands. Blood dropped through them and collected on her white mini skirt.

"Oh, look. Red," Aubrey said, voice dripping with mockery. "Here. Have a umbrella." She shoved the umbrella into Arianna's lap and stormed away, leaving the sounds of Arianna's whimpers and the girls' fawning.

OoOoO

"Going out with a bang, are we, Aubrey?" Ms. Lee sighed as she drummed her fingers on her desk.

"Okay, listen, it was justified-" Aubrey began, but she was interrupted by the principle holding up her finger.

"To be honest, Aubrey, I'm finding that hard to believe. Remember on the other time you punched a kid? It was, uh, Kevin Shanks."

"Okay, he was a head case, and that was justified too!"

"How? You said he was complementing you!"

"Yeah, on my butt!" Aubrey slumped back. "What does this have to do with that, anyways?"

"My point is you can't just go around punching people, Aubrey. Thankfully you're leaving, or you'd probably get a suspension."

"Geez, thanks," Aubrey scoffed. "Nice to know you'll miss me."

"You know what I mean," Ms. Lee scolded Aubrey gently. "I think you're a good kid underneath all that rough exterior, and I wish you had tried to bring her out a little more while you were here. It would probably have made this experience a bit more enjoyable."

"Geez! I'm only leaving for a few months! I'll probably come back."

Ms. Lee shrugged. "I hope you do. I'll miss seeing you around."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Can I go now?"

"No. I need to talk to your sister when she comes to pick you up. She should be here any minute, though. School's out in a few." Ms. Lee glanced at the clock on her wall, and Aubrey slumped back. Great. Just great.

Ms. Lee was not disappointed. Soon, Cynthia came rushing in, heels clacking as she strode to her seat and sat down, brushing her hands on her skirt.

"Now," she sighed, "what has Aubrey done this time?"

"She punched a student," Ms. Lee replied evenly, knitting her fingers together. "Her name is Arianna Dixon."

"Okay, she made paint explode out of my locker!" Aubrey exclaimed.

Cynthia laid a soothing hand on her leg. "Tell me the story." Her eyes bespoke of terrible things to come if Aubrey didn't settle down.

And so the earlier events were relayed, Cynthia listening patiently. Once the tale was done, however, she paused and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Aubrey, I thought we talked about this."

"I don't remember having a discussion about anything close to this," Aubrey insisted, crossing her arms and slouching.

Cynthia sighed. "Is she going to have to be punished in any way?"

Ms. Lee pursed her lips. "Well, she'll have to have community service. If she had been staying here, she probably would've been suspended, but since she's leaving, that's probably the extent of her punishment." She opened a drawer in her desk and scribbled something on it, signing her name with a flourish. "Okay, I'm assigning you 15 hours of community service. That's to be completed by the end of the school year." She smiled brightly and handed her the paper. "Make sure whoever you're performing it for signs that and puts down how many hours you've done."

Aubrey nodded glumly and shoved it into her backpack.

"Well, we'll miss you, Aubrey. Come back soon." Ms. Lee waved goodbye as the pair took their leave, opening the door and exiting the school. It wasn't until they were both strapped into the car and moving down the street that Cynthia started the infamous lecture.

"Are you kidding me, Aubrey?"

Aubrey glared out the side of the window.

"You just got into trouble with the police. Are you serious? Now you're punching people!"

"She booby trapped my locker!"

"What evidence do you have?"

Sometimes she really hated having a lawyer for a sister. "She was all the evidence I need."

Cynthia shook her head. "I really expect better of you at the next school. I really do. 'Cause guess what, pal? Next week! You're going to Mal's later, so you'd better straighten up!"

Aubrey groaned. "I don't wanna go today!"

"Well, tough," Cynthia replied. "We have a flight tonight. You have everything packed?"

Aubrey nodded.

"Okay, then." Cynthia sighed and turned into the deiveway, clearly tired of the conversation at hand. "We'll get it loaded into the car and hit the road."

OoOoO

Cynthia gave Aubrey one last hug and patted her over. "You've got everything?"

Aubrey sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Cynthia."

"You're positive?"

"As a hippie with HIV."

Cynthia shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" She drew back, a small smile on her lips. "If you need anything, anything at all, you just call me, okay?"

Aubrey nodded. "Have fun."

Cynthia gave a small laugh. "Okay. I love you." She turned to Mal. "Don't spoil her, now."

Mal scoffed. "No chance of that."

"You two be good. Please don't kill each other," she pleaded as she gathered her coat and purse. "I have to go make sure Denni's okay. Okay?"

Mal and Aubrey nodded numbly.

"Bye," their older sister called as she walked out the door. "I love you!" And with a slam of the door, the only person keeping them from tearing each other's throat out was gone.

All was silent, Mal and Aubrey glaring at each other in a battle of wills.

Finally, Mal saw the need to speak.

"Okay, here are some ground rules," Mal stated. "1. You don't mess with my stuff. My room is off limits. 2. Food is fine, being lazy is fine, but you put away what you get out."

Aubrey scoffed at this oxymoron, but refrained from making a scathing comment. Time enough for that later.

"3. Anyone comes over, you go in your room and put on a movie or music or something. Let me have my privacy. 4. Don't make my life miserable."

Aubrey nodded. "Okay, fine. I don't know of I can promise you 4, but we'll see. Now my rules." She marched up to him and planted her hands on her hips. "My room equals my space. Same rules apply there as to yours. 2. My buisness is private. Don't ask me how my friends are or if I got a boyfriend. Stay out of it. 3. You'll let me go to parties and stuff. I won't do drugs or drink, but you gotta let me have fun." She pursed her lips. "4. You're not my mother. Don't lecture me or make me do stuff. Got it?

"I don't want this anymore than you do. But if you stay out of my life, you wont even know I'm in yours. Capeesh?"

Mal stared at her for a moment, then nodded and extended a hand. She followed suit and grasped his, giving it a firm shake.

The truce was on. Whether it would last or not, well...that was anyone's guess.

...Meaning it was bound to be broken.

**So, not my best, but I really wanted to get it out. Review for llamas!**


	5. Chapter 5: Of Coffee and Keys

This is inexcusable. I'm sorry. This is ridiculous. I've left this alone for too long, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. But, if it makes you feel any better, I stayed up till 1 to finish this. So, yeah. I'm sorry.

**Beep beep beep beep! **

Aubrey lifted her head, eyesight bleary. The world swam for a second, and she had to adjust her head in order to see the offending object. Her eyes darkened. An alarm clock. Who had placed this devilish article next to her head? A dead man, that's who.

She tried to roll over and fall back asleep, but the damage was wreaked. Grumbling under her breath, she reached for her cell phone and checked the time.9:30. Saturday, November 4.SATURDAY?!

With a yowl of rage, Aubrey leapt out of bed and stepped over her discarded articles of clothing. She yanked the door open, then rethought her actions. She crossed back to the bed and grabbed the alarm clock, fingers tightening with hatred. She resumed her warpath, out for blood.

Mal was screwed.

She found him at the kitchen table, calmly drinking coffee, already dressed. She crossed the room in a few steps, rage making her steps wide.

Mal looked at her quizzically as she slammed the clock down in front of him, rattling his coffee.

"What. Is. This?" she managed to growl out without strangling him.

"...An alarm clock," he replied. Oh , he was infuriating.

"At 9:30?"

"Yes."

"On a Saturday?!" she practically screamed at him.

"Geez. No use sleeping the day away."

Aubrey's eye twitched. "Yes, there clearly is. Besides, whatever happened to staying out of my room?"

"Oh, that thing always malfunctions. I've has it go offat 3 AMbefore." Aubrey detected an irritating twinkle in his eye as he raised his cup to his mouth.

That twitch was starting to get annoying. "So, let me get this straight. We didn't even set the rules, and you already broke them?"

Mal shrugged. "Not technically. Anyways, cé la vie."

Aubrey groaned, hands unconsciously making scratching gestures. She was going to kill him. KILL him. "I hate you." She glowered at him, ready to tell him what she thought about his alarm-*insert expletive here*-clock, but she was interrupted by the ringing of the cell phone in his pocket. Mal whipped it out and held his finger out, cautioning her to be quiet.

"This is Mal Fallon. ...Oh, hey Nat."

Aubrey scoffed. "This is Mal Fallon," she repeated in a mocking voice, "and I'm a giant di-"

"Shut up!" Mal hissed in her direction. "No, not you, Nat. What were you saying?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes and plodded into the kitchen, stomach growling. Stupid frickin brothers. Her gaze, however, brightened when she caught sight of the coffee pot, still a quarter of the way full. A mischievous grin slowly made its way up to the comers of her mouths as she made sure Mal wasn't watching. She slowly, every so slowly tipped the salt shaker into the pot, letting the entire bottom become layered with small crystals. She chuckled silently, replaced the shaker, swished the pot, and left to go grab some cereal, eavesdropping on Mal all the while.

"You found an opening in the case? Wow, that's great! ...Work? Today?" Mal groaned and looked down. "Now?" A sigh. "All right. Only for you." Mal laughed, a happy expression on his face. "All right. I'll see you in ten. Bye." He hung up and stuck his phone in his pocket. He picked up his cup and downed the rest of the coffee, then brought it over to the pot for a refill.

"Who was that?" Aubrey questioned.

"Oh, my partner, Natara. You met her the other night. She got an opening in a case we're working on, so you'll be alone for the day. You can go sight-seeing and what not, I really don't care. Just be home by 9."

"Ahhh." Aubrey watched her brother with gleeful eyes. Yes! He was falling for it! But, just as the cup reached his lips, he set it down again.

"Now, I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that. She's engaged to Oscar Santos." The level of disgust in his tone almost made Aubrey smile.

"Dumb-a-?" She was interrupted before she could finish her question.

"Ah ah ah, young lady," Mal tsked, "not that kind of language."

Aubrey stuck out her tongue. "Geez. I'm not five."

"No, but you shouldn't talk like that." Mal picked up his cup again, giving Aubrey the signal to leave. "It's not right for young girls to cuss."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Aubrey snorted. "I'm gonna go get dressed." She practically ran it of the kitchen, sniggering quietly to herself. She was able to reach her door before there was a resounding "AUBREY CHRISTINA FALLON! GET BACK IN HERE!"

She laughed heartily at the sound of spluttering and coughing, and locked her door after whisking inside. "Oh, payback is sweet," she chuckled, and rooted around for some clothes

OoOoO

"Nothing, nothing, and nothing," Aubrey grumbled, spinning slowly as she surveyed the different stores and restaurants. "I live in San Francisco, for crying out loud. How is there nothing to do?!"

An old lady looked at her strangely as she hurried by, balancing a cat on her arm. A forty-something year old man approached her, the smell of tobacco and alcohol wafting off of his body. "Hey kid, want a drag?" he leered before drifting away.

"I'm good," she called after him, "but I think a few policemen would enjoy it."

She shrugged as she walked on. "At least it's never boring." She passes by a gelato stand and bought a cup, slowly slurping up the strawberry desert. "Might as well go home," she sighed.

After walking for about ten minutes, the teen finally arrived at the apartment complex. "Ahh, home at last," she murmured, digging in her pocket for the key. Nope. Scratch that. Searching for the key. Pawing for the key. Turning pockets inside out. Aaaaand...key's gone. "Oh, you..." Aubrey launched into a long string of expletives, finishing up by cursing her brother, her sister, and the apartment for good measure. Oh, the world was against her.

"Let's see, go back to the mall and do absolutely nothing with my $2.47, or go to the precinct to get keys from my obnoxious brother so I can go inside and be lazy all day. ...Yeah, no question about that." Aubrey sighed and turned on her heel to hop down the few flights of steps down to the street. She was able to catch a trolley, and was at the precinct in about 7 minutes.

Approaching the brick steps, Aubrey stopped and squared her shoulders. "Come on, Aubs. It's only your idiot brother and a whole bunch of whack-jobs. It can't be any worse than school. Right? Right." And with that, the teen marched up the steps and entered the building.

"Hi, can I help you?" the receptionist asked, looking up from some papers.

"Yeah, hi, um, my name's Aubrey Fallon, Mal's my brother. I left my key inside, and I need to get his."

The receptionist gave her a patronizing smile. "Sure, honey. Has a seat and I'll get him for you after I take this phone call."

Aubrey's face slowly contorted into a disgusted grimace. Really? Really, lady? Adults these days. However, taking advantage of the woman's distraction, she slipped past the desk and went on the warpath for her brother.

She cornered him at a desk as he mulled over some paperwork. He looked thoroughly bored, so she decided to give him a diversion.

"Howdy, feller!" she greeted him cheerfully.

"Nyah!" Mal yelled, jumping and upsetting a cup of pencils. "Aubrey," he grumbled, bending over to pick up the scattered utensils, "what are you doing here?"

"Left me keys in th' 'ouse, old chap," Aubrey answered. "D'ye mind givin' me yourn?"

Mal sighed. "All right. Just don't lose them, and leave. Now. Before anyone-"

"Hey, it's Aubrey!" came a voice behind them, a pretty blonde revealing herself to be Blaise.

"Sees you," Mal finished with a scowl. "Yes, it's Aubrey, and she's leaving. Now."

"Why are you here, Aubrey?" Blaise inquired, pointedly ignoring Mal.

"Mal's playing babysitter while Cynthia's gone," Aubrey replied. "Locked myself out." She dangled the keys, making a jangling sound.

"Nice! So, are you coming to Thanksgiving dinner at Amy's in two weeks? The whole precinct and families are invited."

Aubrey quirked a brow. "No, I was not informed of the wondrous occasion."

"I was going to tell you," Mal cut in. "Hold your horses, Blaise."

Blaise laughed and moved off. "Nice seeing you," she called over her shoulder.

Aubrey gave a tight lipped smile and turned around, only to be met by Kai Kalaba. "Did I hear you were staying?" he inquired. "If this is so, I must go add you to my Sims."

Aubrey choked on her own spit. "I'm worry, SIMS?"

Mal rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to him. You don't wanna know."

Kai chuckled evilly. "Oh, you don't indeed, Malligator. You don't want to know what I've had you and Agent Hottie do-"

"Woah, woah woah woah," Aubrey nearly screamed, waving her hands before her face in an 'X' position. "I don't want to hear about my brother's love life, real or fiction. Ever. That's just nasty. Gross. Unspeakable." She shuddered and placed the keys in her pocket. "I'm leaving while the going's safe. Thanks for the keys, Mal, and Kai..." She shuddered again. "No thanks for the images. Okay. Bye." She ran out the door, feet not able to fly fast enough. So long, Creepy Kai.

As she slowed down to a walk and caught a bus, she couldn't help but wonder how Thanksgiving would work out. Something told her it would not go as planned.


	6. Chapter 6: Of Action and Acquaintances

**I'm so sorry! Truly, I am. I hit some slight writer's block on this, but I finished it. Yay. But hopefully you enjoy this. **

**And while you're over on my side of the street, pwease go check out my one-shot I just wrote. It's called 'Blood Like Ice' (ooh, creepy title) and it's a good ole' angsty sad one. Yay. **

**Okay! Enjoy! **

OoOoO

"Aubrey!"

"Huh? Wha...?" Aubrey shot out of bed, landing in a clump on the floor. She untangled herself from her blankets in a haze. "What' d' you...want... Oh crap!" She glanced at the clock. "7:32. Oh, my gosh, no!" She leapt up, legs scrabbling and sliding. Grabbing a pair of jeans, she stuffed her legs inside while simultaneously yanking a tank top over her head. "Okay, okay, okay, um, hair, hair hair hair!" The hassled teen snatched a brush and dragged it through her hair. "Ow ow ow ow," she whimpered as she tore out the bedroom door and rushed to the kitchen. Mal raised an eyebrow as she whizzed by and snatched a pop-tart package out of the pantry and stuffed it into her mouth without hesitation. "Okay, lemme ge' ma'up n' we c'n go," she garbled around the pastry.

Mal smirked and set his coffee cup in the sink. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

Aubrey simply gave him a death glare, scarfed down the rest of her pop-tart, and rushe to the bathroom. After hastily applying her makeup, she ran a toothbrush through her mouth, grabbed her backpack, and slipped her feet into her shoes.

"Let's go, Mal!" she yelled. "I'm gonna be late!"

Her older brother sighed and grabbed his coat. "All right, let's go."

It wasn't until she was in the car and buckled, driving smoothly down the road when she thought to question something. "...Wait a minute. How come you're so calm? ...Shouldn't you be at work?!"

Mal changed the turnin signal before answering. "I would be, except that I changed your clock about an hour early."

Aubrey's mouth fell open slightly. "What?"

"Uh, yeah, I knew you'd sleep through your alarm and wanted to be sure you got up on time."

"I'm gonna kill you," she whispered, head in her hands. "I'm going to kill you."

"Better not, 'cause I have a case and if I die you could very well be the next victim."

Aubrey scoffed. "Please. I'll kill them off with my stunning good looks."

"Mmm. Well, I'd suggest you find a Plan B."

"Jerk!" Aubrey smacked Mal's arm, causing the car to wobble. Several morning commuters applied their horns in the siblings' direction, clearly not in the mood for antics.

"Ow!" Mal exclaimed. "That was mean." But a slight smile played around his lips as they pulled into the parking lot of the school. Children and teens milled about, chatting and laughing as they headed inside the brick building. A couple sat on a bench, intent on swapping saliva as a trio of nerd-types bent their head together over a computer a few yards away. Some freshman girls laughed and flirted with some boys, peeking around the gratuitous shrubbery, and a girl in a beret snapped a picture of a cluster of blur flowers.

The school itself was large, spanning a few identical brick buildings. Tennis and basketball courts sat on Aubrey's left, with a spacious pool on the right. Bikes were lined up and locked next to each other, seeming to be the only calm and stationary objects in the hullabaloo around them.

Aubrey drew in a deep breath and gathered up her things, trying to take in everything and keep herself calm. Much as she hated to admit it, she had butterflies in her stomach.

"You want me to come in with you?" Mal inquired, studying her face with an amused air.

"Uh, nah, I'm good," answered Aubrey. "All the papers are signed so I'm just gonna check in and get to class." She gave a half-hearted smile and a thumbs-up sign. "Hasta la vista, baby."

Mal nodded as Aubrey shut her door. He rolled down the window as she turned in her heel and started to tread away. "Hey, Aubs."

"Hmm?" Aubrey turned around to face him, surprised that he wasn't peeling out of the parking lot already.

"Uh..." He cleared his throat and scratched his neck uncomfortably, at a loss for what to say. What does one say to your younger sister that hates you in her first day of new school? "Uh, go...get 'em, tiger."

Aubrey laughed. "Thanks, Mal." She saluted him with two fingers and walks backwards for a few steps, then hopped and turned around. She smiled as the sound of tires squealing reached her ears. She shook her head. "Oh, Mal."

OoOoO

Hallways.

Crowded hallways.

Aubrey groaned as she was bumped into a locker, rowdy football players tossing a football completely moving the student body in a massive wave, fatal to the students next to the lockers. Fatal to, as it were, Aubrey. It was bad enough she was lost on the proverbial highway of school, but to be lost and stuck in a massive traffic jam completely unnerved her.

"Hey, uh, would you mind-" she attempted inquiring of a boy next to her, who simply blew air through his lips in a disgusted manner and walked off. "O-kay then. Hey, can you-" she tried again towards a girl in platforms and skinny jeans.

"Not interested," the girl snorted as she moved off, leaving Aubrey with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Geez, I'm loving the friendly aura of the school," she muttered, looking up just in time to see a sign entitled "Principal Shapiro" on a formidable-looking office. "Ha!" she exclaimed and tackled her way across the mob, pushing and shoving in an effort to reach the promised land. She was getting to the principal's office, even if she had to brave kissing couples and skateboarding slackers.

Reaching the door, she didn't even bother knocking, simply yanked the door open and stumbled inside. She exhaled and slammed the door behind, bracing it with her back. "Oh, hallelujah," she breathed.

A cough brought her out if her temporary reverie, prompting her to look up and behold a puzzled looking Asian man behind a desk and a miffed plump older woman.

"Uh..." What should she do? "Aubrey Fallon?"

Blank looks.

"New kid? I'm supposed to come to you on my first day?"

"Oh." The Asian man gave a small chuckle. "Thank you, Mrs. Dabner. We can continue this conversation tomorrow."

The woman, presumably Mrs. Dabner, gathered a few flashy pink notebooks and stood up. "Principal," she acknowledged him, bowing her head slightly. Aubrey received no such courtesy, Mrs. Dabner simply glaring down her long nose in the teen's direction. It wasn't often that Aubrey felt intimidated, but she certainly felt the twinge of fear in her stomach.

"Miss Aubrey. Please. Have a seat," Principle Shapiro suggested, gesturing towards a purple plastic-covered seat.

"Okay..." Aubrey gently lowered herself downwards, gingerly placing her backside on the sticky cushion. "Uh, I'm supposed to come to you to look over my papers, I guess?"

"Of course. Hand them to me, please." The Asian man took the papers and perused them silently, lips moving as his eyes scanned the stark black lettering. "Hmm, yes, yes, no, okay! It looks like you are all set!" He handed the small stack back to her and folded his hands. "Do you feel comfortable showing yourself around, or would you like me to find someone to help you?"

That was a no-brainer. "I'll show myself around, thanks," Aubrey answered, and stood up. "Thank you." She ducked her head and walked out of the room, not leaving fast enough. It wasn't that she didn't like him, per sé... It was more the fact he insinuated that Aubrey needed help. Never. Absolutely not.

So with a huff and a bounce, she whisked down the hallway, scanning each doorway for her homeroom.

It was half an hour before she found it.

OoOoO

7 hours and fifteen minutes later, Aubrey staggered out of the brick building that she already labeled "Hall of Hell". So far, she had made five enemies, (4 of which were in the female category, the other being a nerd because she had said she didn't like Lord of the Rings), spilled her lunch, lost her way 9 times, got yelled at by a teacher, been run over twice, got slammed into a locker four times, and was pinned in between couples making out 7 times. Along with being sent home with the mother-lode of al homework. All she wanted to do was go home, watch something stupid, and eat a tub of cookie dough ice cream.

However, her musings were interrupted by the sound of cheering and shouting. A peek behind a brick corner showed her the sight of a ring of pushing, shoving kids clustered around something. Why is was, she didn't know, but she had a pretty good guess. Much as she enjoyed them, she wasn't in the mood to watch a fight today, so she started moving away. However, her guess was challenged by the students' cries of "Trash can! Trash can! Trash can!"

"Trash can?" She muttered, curious spirit getting the best of her. She pushed and elbowed her way to where she was at the center of the ring. The sight that greeted her was awful even to her own eyes. A tall, muscular kid wearing a football jacket was carrying a short, skinny kid upside down. The skinny kid's glasses were crushed upon the ground, his backpack contents spilled everywhere. His mouth was bleeding, his nose bruised, and his left eye was swollen and bright bluey-purple.

Aubrey sighed. Really? She may not be the most gentle of characters, she enjoyed a good scrap now and then, but bullying was not okay. Not being able to stand by with a good concious, she stepped forward into the circle and rolled her sleeves up. Time for blood.

The jock, laughing and shaking the poor kid, noticed Aubrey and entirely mistook her intentions. "Hey," he cried, "take off the top!" He motioned with his head towards a large plastic trash can, apparently wanting Aubrey to enable him to put the nerd in his arms into it.

"Come on, man, put him down," she yelled in reply.

The crowd quieted down. Who was this strange person, who dared go against this all-powerful jock?

The jock got a angry look in his eyes. "Take off the trash can lid, chick," he spat, giving her one last chance to reverse her actions.

"First, I'm not a chick, and second, just put him down. You had your fun. Let him go." Aubrey started feeling miffed. She was most definitely not a chick.

The jock glared at her, mouth working as he processed her words. "You want me to put him down?" He questioned. "Fine." Loosening one hand, he tore the lid off the trash can and slammed the poor kid inside, sending a roar of approval up from the crowd.

"Oh, hell, no," Aubrey muttered under her breath. "Bad decision." Without dispensing pleasantries, she reared up and slammed her fist into his jaw, knocking him over and sending him sprawling on the ground.

The crowd hushed in shock.

The jock felt his jaw and stood up. He was obviously not happy at all. "Oh, you messed with the wrong guy," he snarled, and launched himself at Aubrey. He swing his massive fist right towards her nose, but she simply ducked and caught his arm. She twisted quickly, and he went soaring into the ground, arm bent at a slightly unnatural angle. He snarled in pain and Aubrey let go.

"Tooo sloow," she mocked him in a singsong voice. There weren't many things she enjoyed more than tormenting those she was fighting.

The jock fought upwards with an animalistic growl. His leg shot out, attempting to connect with hers, but she caught it and twisted that as well, sending him back down towards the ground.

"Come on, man. My grandma could beat you," she jeered.

Standing up again, he launched a flurry of punches, attempting to get a hit in anywhere possible. She blocked them fairly easily, although one managed to land on her jaw. She stumbled backwards, face stinging, and he advanced forward. All right. Time for this guy to leave.

Aubrey faked a right hook and he dodged to the left, giving her just the right angle for her to bring her fist in direct contact with his nose.

The crowd gasped as an audible crunch was heard, and the jock fell backwards, holding his nose. His butt hit the ground as blood poured out of his fingers. He shut his eyes in agony, leaving Aubrey an opening. She crouched down and grabbed his collar, jerking his face just a few inches away from her own.

"Leave," she snarled, "and if you ever touch him again I will beat your ass so hard you will not know what hit you."

The jock nodded and Aubrey released him, allowing him to run away in shame. Her foot connected smartly with his backside, making him stumble, and she smirked as he disappeared around the corner, followed by some buddies.

As she sighed, she walked to the trash can and peered inside. The need inside looked at her and gave a braces-clad smile. "Thanks," he told her. She smiled and gave him a hand, allowing him to stand up and climb out of the trash can. "You listen to me!" She yelled out. "I said it once, and I'll say it again. Leave this guy alone, or I will beat you and beat you good. Got it?"

The crowd gave a murmur of assent and filed away, some casting glances of fear towards Aubrey. Soon, Aubrey and the nerd stood alone.

He was a very short person. She suspected he was a freshman, though if needed he could've been in seventh grade. His short hair was a light sandy-blonde color, his eyes a dark green. He wore a pair of long, khaki-colored pants and a white shirt with a brown sweater-vest over top. His black converse had blood drops on it from his mouth. She swallowed.

"Aubrey," she introduced herself as she stuck her hand out.

"Simon," he answered, giving her a handshake. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. This your stuff?"

"Yeah." Simon bent down and picked up his glasses. He muttered some gibberish under his breath.

"What was that?" Aubrey inquired as she picked up a notebook labeled 'Statistics''. Okay, so maybe not a freshman.

"Huh? Oh, uh, a curse in Elvish."

Aubrey paused. "Oh, god, no," she murmured under her breath. "You're one of those?"

"One of what?"

"A...Lord of the Rings...obsessor."

Simon chuckled, relieved her of the notebook, and placed it in his backpack. "Would you rather I said it in Klingon?"

Aubrey raised her eyes towards the heavens. "Help..." Shaking her head, she inspected his beaten face. "You might want to get that taken care of."

Simon shrugged. "I've had worse."

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. "How often do they do that to you?"

"Oh, about once a month. Maybe twice. I stood up to him one time and now he proceeds to beat the crap out of me. Oh well." Simon shrugged once, in a gesture of helplessness, and shouldered his backpack.

"Who is he?"

"His name's Jared Conroy. He's the star linebacker for the football team, and the entire school is in love with him. I'd stay away if I were you. ...Well, actually, never mind."

Aubrey allowed herself a laugh. "Yeah, I guess I gave him his due."

"Just be careful." Simeon's face grew serious, and a sad expression came into his green eyes. "He's a formidable enemy." After a second passed, Simon cocked his head and blinked owlishly. "Pardon me, but would you mind telling me which way is the street?"

Aubrey turned him in the direction of the road. "You're not walking home, are you?"

Simon shrugged. "No other way. Unless you have a TARDIS. I don't have money for the bus fare and I live to close to take the school bus."

Aubrey sighed and fingered her temples. "I can give you some money for a ride home. Where do you live?"

"A few minutes that way." Simon pointed to the left.

"You live in a sewage plant?"

"...That way." He reversed his aim. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Seeing as if you walk you'll probably get run over or fall into a ditch."

Simon laughed. "Thanks. It should only be about fifty cents." He held his hands out as Aubrey rummaged in her backpack for the money.

"Okay, just let...me...I'm over here."

Simon pivoted. "Thank you," he said, as the coins clinked into his hand.

"No problem." Aubrey's mind niggled at her, and she tried to push away the thoughts.

No, she wanted to groan at herself.

No, I don't wanna...

You can't let him, she argued back at herself.

Yes, I can.

Can you really enjoy yourself knowing he might be creamed on the side of the road?

Yes.

Don't you dare.

But...

Do it.

She sighed, extremely aggravated she couldn't yell at her own mind, and amended her statement. "On second thought, I think I'll ride with you. I don't want you getting in the wrong bus and going to Wyoming or something."

Simon gave a self-conscious chuckle. "I probably would do something like that. Thanks, Aubrey." He gave a wide grin up in her direction, and set off.

"Simon. Wrong way."

"Of course."

Half an hour, two wrong buses, quite a few laughs, and approximately 200 "Wrong way, Simon"s later, Aubrey had accompanied Simon to his house and been driven to hers. She pondered over the events if the day as she plopped onto the couch with a tub of ice cream and an episode of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo Child".

Cons: the Hall of Hell, kissing couples, Jared, lockers, pretty much the whole school. And there wasn't a Ben and Jerry's on the block.

Pros: she just might have made a friend (acquaintance, she reminded herself sternly) for the first time since third grade.

All in all, not too bad a day.

OoOoO

**Yeah, yeah. Gotta' love cheesy endings(;**

**Again, I'm sorry about this. But please review and make me happy, and I will send out a basket of chibi-mini-llamas. Yes. Cute times double. **

**And please go check out and review my one-shot! You know you want to(;**


	7. Chapter 7: Of Dreams and Decorations

**Hey all! I'm so sorry about this being so late. I lost my iPod a few times and I've been on a Doctor Who spree (Rory! Come be mine! Amy doesn't deserve you! You're too amazing! *dies*) so, yeah...Anyhoo enjoy! **

_Aubrey sits at a small bedside in a sticky plastic seat, coloring quietly as her mommy sleeps. Her chubby hands are slightly stained as she hums to herself, the newest song from first grade ringing in her head. Even at six years old, her coloring is not exactly stellar, but she is pleased with the results as malformed heads and abnormally long arms take shake. _

_She is pleasantly surprised, however, when a graying police officer enters and shuts the door quietly. _

_"Daddy!" She whispers, sliding down from her chair and running to give him a hug. _

_"Hey, sweetheart," he murmurs back, leaning down to give him a hug. His embrace is abnormally long and tight, and he gives her an extra squeeze and kiss before he lets go. "How was school?" _

_"It was great! I learned new songs, and I did some math. I can add now! And daddy, guess what?" _

_"What?" Jacob asks, a sudden limp seeming to come into his throat. _

_"I can read some words! Like cat, and dog, and mat!" Aubrey smiles self-importantly, and Jacob gives a chuckle. _

_"That's awesome, babe. I, I..." He goes quiet, lines of stress appearing on his face. Aubrey studies him with a concerned gaze. _

_"Daddy? Are you okay?" _

_"I'm fine, hon. I'm...fine." Jacob leans down and gathers her in a large embrace. "I love you, Aubs. Do you know that?" _

_"Of course, silly," Aubrey giggles. "I love you too." _

_Jacob gives a watery chuckle and sniffs before he sets her down. Aubrey wriggles away and grabs for a sheet of paper on the table. "Daddy, look what I made for you!" _

_She hands him a crudely drawn drawing. In the middle stands a couple. On the right; a huge man, dressed in what might be considered police gear, although it might also be a scuba diving suit or a unitard. His legs are longer than his torso and her by a few inches, and his head is speckled with grey. On the left; a woman with brown hair down to her backside. She is abnormally skinny, but a huge smile is on her face. She appears to wear a white dress, which might be considered a hospital gown. Holding the man's hand is a minuscule child, only reaching to about his thigh. Short, brown hair sticks up over the child's hair, and a toothy smile is seen. She wears a bright blue dress with a red flower on the front. And to the left, about five inches away, stands a tall, gangly looking young man. He wears what might be considered police gear as well. However, he has an abundance of brown hair, and instead of a smile, he wears a straight line. _

_"Wow, that's great," Jacob answers enthusiastically, studying the paper. "Is that me?" _

_"Yeah! And that's mommy, and me, and Mal!" At this, Aubrey's face falls slightly. "But he's always mad. So I didn't make him smile." _

_Jacob smiles and kisses her head. "I love it." _

_A sudden rustling is heard, and Angela is waking up. "J-Jake? How long have you been there?" She inquires, voice tired. "Hi, sweetheart," she greets Aubrey as the child runs for a kiss. _

_"Just a few minutes. I didn't want to wake you." Jacob's gaze is sorrowful, heavy, and Angela seems to sense they need some time. "Aubrey, honey, can you give mommy ad daddy some time alone for a second?" _

_"Sure," Aubrey answers, skipping towards the door. "I gotta go potty, anyways." She flashes a large grin before slipping out the door, humming a song as she makes her ways towards the restrooms a few doors down the hall. _

_A few minutes later, Aubrey dries her hands with a rough paper towel before exiting the restroom. As she dances down the hallway, she sees the leg of a man disappearing behind the corner. She thinks nothing of it, however, and opens the door to Angela's room fully expecting him to be there. She is disappointed, however, to see only her mom with her head in her hands. _

_"Where's daddy, mommy?" She asks, slightly unsettled by how dejected her mother looks. _

_Angela looks up, sorrow etched into her face. "He...he had to leave, sweetie. I'm sorry." _

_"It's okay," Aubrey sighs, making her way to the table again. "Wait! He forgot his picture!" She gasps, as if forgetting the piece of paper is the most horrible thing in the world. "I'll be right back." She snatches the portrait up and runs for the door. _

_"Aubrey, why don't you give it to him-" Angela starts, but before she can finish, the tiny whirlwind is already out the door. She sighs and leans back against the cushions. _

_Aubrey dances in the elevator on the way down, tapping her feet and shimmying. She makes a loud 'ding!' noise whenever the elevator goes down a floor. She personally finds this hysterical. _

_She hits the ground floor and skips outside, waving hello to the receptionist. "Gotta find dad-dy, gotta find dad-dy," she chants to herself, hopping into a run. She swivels her head around, hoping to locate him. _

_A momentary high is has when she finds his tall, graying head next to a police car and his former partner, lieutenant Maria Yeong. However, her stomach falls into a pit of confusion when she realizes that Maria is putting handcuffs onto him. She runs forward, terror coiling in her stomach like a snake. _

_"Lieutenant Yeong, what are you doing?" she yells, her feet slapping the pavement. The picture, once so prized, drops to the ground and quickly becomes soggy with dirty water. Her small hands find Yeong's and attempt to pry them away. _

_"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Maria answers, gently unclamping Aubrey's. Her face looks worn, but firm. _

_"N-no," Aubrey stammers, "Daddy says this is for the bad guys! Daddy's not a bad guy!" She starts sobbing as she digs her fingers into Maria's hands, small nails raking into flesh in an attempt to dislodge her from her father. "Let him go!" _

_"Aubrey, sweetheart," Jacob attempts, "let her do this, okay? I...I have-"_

_"No, daddy!" Aubrey yells, refusing to allow him to finish. "You're not a bad guy!" She's full on on top of Maria by now, chubby hands getting scratched by the metal that she is so desperately trying to dislodge from her father's wrists. It's a pitiful sight, really. A tall, thin Asian woman attempting to set aside a tiny, chubby six-year-old girl who is sobbing large fat tears as she clings to her graying father. The rain starts to fall, wetting their clothes and only adding to the general chaos. _

_Suddenly, a police car zooms up to the curb. Mal slams his car door open and stalks away, not even deigning to give the group a glance, until Aubrey screams, "Mal, tell them! Tell them daddy's a good guy! Don't let her take him away!" She encircles her father's torso with an iron grip, her face buried into his hip as she sobs. _

_Mal sighs, his nostrils flared in anger, and stomps over. He attempts to tear Aubrey away, but she smacks him and only holds onto Jacob tighter. _

_"Mal," Jacob tries, endeavoring to meet his son's eye, but Mal just looks away. "Son, wait, listen to me," he attempts again, just catching his arm with his hand. _

_"DON'T-!" Mal suddenly screams, rounding on his father like a lion on a zebra. Aubrey stops and stares at her brother with wide eyes, completely shocked. "Don't call me son, and DON'T tell me to listen! I've heard all I need to hear." His fists clench and unclench furiously as he glares at his father, blue eyes stormy with boiling emotions. "Everything they've said about you is true. ...You're nothing but a crook," he snarls. "Mom deserves better. And me?" Mal pauses, and if Aubrey didn't know better she might think those were tears in his eyes. "I'm not your son. I don't need you anymore. You're dead to me."_

_Aubrey doesn't understand what's going on. How can daddy be dead when he's right there? Of course Mal is his son! And what did he mean, mom deserves better? A crook? Crooks were bad guys... Aubrey hides her face with a whimper in her dad's hip. _

_With a final display of rage, Mal grabs Aubrey under her arms and jerks her away, effectively yanking her hands apart and separating her from her father. _

_"No!" Aubrey screams, reaching for her father. "Mal, stop! Daddy! Daddy, don't go! Daddy!" _

_Jacob yells at them, "Mal! ...Mal?" But Mal just keeps walking, dragging his sobbing, writhing sister with him. She digs her heels into the pavement, unwilling to leave as she twists her head to watch Jacob. Maria gently places a hand on his shoulder and pushes him into the car. It drives away, leaving Aubrey and Mal in the rain. It sends Aubry into a new frenzy. _

_"No! No, Daddy! Mal, she took Daddy! Don't let her take him, please, he's a good guy! Please Mal! Daddy!" Mal is deaf to her tears and pleas. He simply keeps forcing her to walk forward, even as she stretches a hand behind her in the direction on the absent police car. _

_"Daddyyy!"_

"Nyah!" Aubrey gasped, sitting upright so fast her bed rocked. She wheezed for breath and fell onto her side, chest heaving as she let loose a few sobs. "D-dad," she choked out, feeling tears slip down her cheeks. She shuddered and gathered her comforter closer, shutting her eyes and blocking out the terrible dream. "That was a l-long time ago," she whispered to herself, still gasping for breath, "stop thinking about it. Just...stop." She wiped away her tears and curls into a ball. The blankets helped block out the memories, and soon she fell into a restless sleep.

OoOoO

Aubrey trudged up the stairs after a long day at school, her only goal being food and a nap. Her feet patted up the stairs as she rubbed her fingers expectantly. Oh, she couldn't-wait. Wait a second. As she came to the top step, her fingers searched frantically in her pockets. No, no no no NO! Not AGAIN! She groaned and looked up at the door, her eye catching sight of a white piece of paper fluttering gently in the breeze.

Ugly,

I accidentally took your keys. Come down to the station when you get home. If I'm not there, I left them with the receptionist.

Mal

"Dammit!" Aubrey screamed at the paper, wrenching if off the door and crumpling it up into a ball. She slammed it on the ground and jumped up and down on it, screaming garbled abuse at it in her rage. "I was supposed to go home! Me! I was gonna watch tv and sleep and eat the crap that Mal keeps! Stupid piece of of crap!" She scooped it off the ground and hurtled it over the balcony. She watched as it gently plopped into the gutter and floated away before slumping back with a sigh. "Crap."

After a few moments, an idea struck her. She took out her phone and dialed Simon's number, waiting impatiently for him to pick up. When he did, she leapt at the chance to talk to him. "Simon! It's Aubrey."

"Oh, thanks. I'm just getting tested for my new glasses and I can't really see the caller ID." His voice sounded strangely distant. Aubrey sighed.

"Turn the phone right side up."

"Oh. Whoops." There was the sound of movement, and then his voice was mercifully clearer. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out. My brother has my keys am I don't feel like talking to him right now."

"Sorry, I wish I could, but this could take a while, and then I have to wait with my mom at my sister's ballet class. Sorry." Simon sounded quite gloomy, and it did nothing to help Aubrey's spirits.

"All right. Thanks anyway."

"See ya." The phone clicked off and Aubrey sighed once more in agitation. And sighed again. "Well," she snarled, "let's go get the keys at the stupid fricking station because my stupid fricking brother took my stupid fricking keys..." She continued muttering darkly under her breath as she marched down the steps, caught a bus, and descended on the precinct like a storm cloud.

Mal had better hide.

After her bus ride, in which quite a few people stared at her as she muttered curses and insults under her breath, she arrived at the precinct, stomped off, and marched inside the building. The receptionist looked up as she entered, and a slight frown flickered across her face.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm going to see Mal. He took my keys. Don't try and stop me," Aubrey snapped as she swept past the pretty blonde. The receptionist, not quite processing this, seemed about to answer but Aubrey was gone before she was able to. No-one was going to stop her.

She found Mal at the water cooler, chatting with Ken whilst sipping his water. "Hey, dork," she snapped, marching up and poking him in the shoulder. Mal jumped and sloshed his water, sending some of it splashing on his shoe. "Ah, come on, Aubrey," he groaned, "I just cleaned these."

"It's water. Don't be such a girl," Aubry answered shortly. "Where's my keys?"

"Right here," Mal sighed, and dug into his pocket for the offending articles. They appeared with a jingle, and he had them out as a peace offering. "Here ya' go."

Aubrey was about to grab them with a huff only to almost be smashed into by Amy, who was carrying a large box of goods.

"Oh! Aubrey!" She chirped, "I'm so glad you came!"

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow. Was Amy expecting her? "Uh...why?"

"Mal said he asked you to help out with decorating today, and that you'd be in after school."

Aubrey ground her teeth, an annoying twitch appearing in her left eye. "Did he now?" She turned to glare at her older brother, who was in the process of covertly downing the rest of his water.

"Mm hmm," Amy hummed. "I'm so glad. We need all the help we can get. A lot of people are out on cases, so you came at an amazing time. These need to go up in the front window-" She dumped a pile of decorations in Aubrey's arms. "-and these can go in the waiting area." She smiled brightly and waltzed off, throwing an extra "Thank you!" over her shoulder.

Aubrey gave a weak chuckle in response, turning to stare at her brother with a viscous glare. "Are. You. Serious?" She snarled. "You took my keys just to make me come and decorate with..." She reached into her box and shoved a slightly disheveled looking turkey. "Paper turkeys with ripped wings?! You should have just ASKED me!"

"Would you have said yes?" Mal asked skeptically, crossing his arms.

"Well...no..." Aubrey huffed and shove the turkey back in the box. "That was low, Mal."

"C'mon, Aubs. Amy could use the help. Unless you'd rather she try and do this with Kai..." Mal lifted his eyebrow and stared at his sister, who shifted and looked away.

At that precise moment, Kai decided to open the door to the forensics lab. "The pig is vanquished," he announced, covered in blood and holding a harpoon aloft. "The case is solved, and we're all having smashed pork chops for dinner tonight."

All eyes turned to stare at the strange techie. He, being the crazy human (...maybe, possibly Martian) he was, stretched his arm high, let loose a savage war cry, and disappeared back into his lab.

A call of "Kai, this is Thanksgiving, not Halloween. If you get blood on my turkeys, I will have yours," sounded from another room. Aubrey had to let loose a soft chuckle.

"Fine, fine, fine," she groaned, shifting the box in her arms. "But you owe me. Big time."

"Such as?"

Aubrey wiggled her eyebrows, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Just wait. I'll think of something." She gave an evil laugh and slink away to the front of the precinct, giving a stare at the glaring receptionist. "M'kay," she hummed, "where should all this crap go?" After a few seconds of staring first at the decorations, then the window, then the decorations, then a creepy hobo guy sitting on a bench, giving her the evil eye. Finally, after about 5 minutes of deliberation, she settled upon draping a strand of sparkly plastic pumpkins across the glass, momentarily blinding herself as the sun glinted off the thin material. Pausing to study her handiwork, she made a few adjustments to the garland and then let it be in favor of a paper pumpkin. She rounded it out a bit, enabling it to stand up on its own easier. She set it in the corner of the window, placed another in the opposite corner, and connected them with a piece of sparkly green garland. "Eh, it works," she murmured to herself, twisting a pumpkin slightly. She placed a diorama of thanksgiving stickers on the glass, setting up a scene of pilgrims hunting a turkey with the Indians. Moving to the next window, she unfurled a large banner made of the word "HAPPYTHANKSGIVING" in sparkly greens, reds, and yellow. The cut-out letters looked exactly like something out of an elementary school. Taping it across the glass, she adjusted the letters slightly, then hung two pumpkin on the edges, next to the sill, using tape and brown string. She then roped twine all around the perimeter of the window, finishing it off with a row of turkey stickers marching themselves along next to the twine. Surveying the decorations, she chuckled slightly to herself, imagining Mal's reaction. This would be interesting.

After placing random pumpkins at different tables in the waiting area, she waltzed her way back to the forensics lab and placed the box next to Amy. "Done," she announced.

Amy looked impressed. "Wow, already? And you used all the decorations! Thanks, Aubrey." The Asian stood up to go survey the work and Aubrey followed her, noting with a smirk that Mal tore his eyes away from a slide and tagged along.

His jaw dropped when he saw the waiting area. "No, no, and no," he snapped, gesturing vaguely at the decorations.

"Why not?" Aubrey queried in a mocking, pseudo-innocent tone.

"It looks like a freaking preschool. Take it down. All of it."

"No," Amy protested, "I like it! It's cute."

"Cute," Mal scoffed, running a hand through his unruly hair. "Cute is for grinning 6-year-olds with missing teeth and lunch boxes decorated with Barney, not convicted criminals."

"Hey, I wasn't a convicted criminal," Aubrey piped up.

Mal shot her a withering glance and continued his spiel. "I won't have it here. And I'm sure the captain wouldn't want it either."

However, before he could continue, a shuffling sound was heard and Kai came around the corner. "I happen to side with Amy on this matter," he announced, not seeming to notice the stares he was obtaining from passersby because of the poker he carried in his right hand an the blood spatters still covering his clothes.

Mal scoffed once more. "Oh, please. You always side with Amy."

However, Kai's remark went unheard as Amy spazzed. "Ack! Kai Kalaba, get away from my windows!"

"Aww," he complained, "I just wanted to see them!" He moved closer, prompting Amy to scold him and follow behind. Mal eavesdropped, finding humor in the situation, and they crowded closer to the glass. Aubrey stood a few feet away, listening to it but still slightly detached. However, her attention was diverted by the sound of crashing and shouting. She turned around, only to see a man come running through the doorway, handcuffs still on. "You won't never make me talk!" he screamed, a wild look in his eyes. From what she could see, his pursuers were too far behind to catch him before he hit the exiting door, and her police blood kicked in.

She rushed over to Kai and snatched the police poker put of his hands. Ignoring his protests, she ran over to the doorway, just in time to slam it solidly into his jaw. The impact sent the burly man to the floor, heels flying over head. His head hit the floor with a solid thunk, his jaw broken in two places.

The precinct went silent, all eyes staring at Aubrey and the downed criminal. Aubrey smirked and gave the poker an expert twirl before crossing the floor and handing it back to Kai.

"Badass," the tech forensic breathed as he accepted the weapon.

Aubrey gave a saucy smile and held out her hand to her still gaping brother. "Keys, if you please," she requested, wiggling her fingers. Mal grimaced as he dug in his pockets and gave her the silvery keys. She snatched them up and walked out the door, but not before blowing the officers a kiss.

Mal glowered as she exited. "That was not badass," she heard him snap, and she chuckled darkly.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. Aubrey preferred it served with turkey.

**Please review, my lovelies. Those who either an extra large jar of pickles. **


	8. Chapter 8: Of Pain and Punching

**Hey, guys. Sorry about the delay, and the shortness. I ran into some trouble with this one. And I swear, this has a plot. I swear. It'll start getting into place soon. ...maybe. X3 **

**Disclaimer: I don't own CoD. **

6-year-old Aubrey kicked and struggled as Mal dragged her towards the hospital, away from the road, where moments before her father had been dragged away. She sobbed uncontrollably, writhing and reaching out for Jacob. "Please," she pled helplessly through her tears, "please Mal, d-don't let her, please-"

"Aubrey," Mal snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders, "that is enough."

"But D-Daddy!"

"Is not coming home right now," Mal answered roughly, a harsh tone entering his voice. "Daddy did back things, Aubrey, horrible things. Do you understand? Dad is a bad man."

"He's not!" Aubrey screamed at him, pushing him away with her chubby fists. "He's not, he's not, how can you say that?!" Fresh tears coursed down her swollen cheeks. Rain pelted her, making her even more of a bedraggled mess.

"Aubrey!" Mal yelled at her, gripping her shoulders harder, "listen to me. Dad did bad things, he deserves to go away. He's a bad man and a bad father."

"No!" Aubrey shrieked, twisting in his grip, "You're lying, you're lying!"

Mal finally cracked and shook Aubrey roughly, whipping her head back and clacking her teeth together with his force. "He's a terrible father! He abandoned us, he lied to us, he cheated on us! He's caused countless deaths, ruined countless lives!" As he continued screaming his abuse, it began to seem less directed at Aubrey and more towards the actual Jacob. "He's not even a decent human being! He doesn't deserve to live! Hear that?! I hope you die!" In the rain and trough her tears, Aubrey couldn't be sure if the water leaking from his eyes was raindrops or tears. She didn't really care, was only shocked that he would dare speak about her beloved father like that.

"Don't you talk about him like that, don't you say that!" She shrieked at him. "You're the bad man, you're the bad man! You should be in the handcuffs! You should go to j-"

She was cut off by Mal's furious hand snaking out and slapping her soundly on the cheek. Her eyes want wide open in disbelief, her hands flying to the wounded cheek. Mal stepped backwards, momentarily shocked that he had dared to cross that line.

Her eyes narrowed with rage, fixing Mal with a dangerous glare. Breathing heavily and hiccoughing, she snarled at him, "I hate you. I hate you, hate you, hate you!" Her voice rose in volume until it rang in Mal's ears. Unable to respond to this, he shook his head in shock. With his head a modicum clearer, he gripped her arm and moved her ahead.

"Just get inside," he snapped.

As they walked, Aubrey continued berating him. "I hate you! You're the worst person ever! I hope you die!"

"Stop it!" Mal shouted, grabbing her other arm and shaking her body again, "stop it!" His voice broke off and he breathed heavily, Aubrey quietly crying. "You need to stop," he said in a lower tone. "We're almost in the hospital. You can't let mom see you-see us like this. Do you understand?"

"Why?" Aubrey whimpered.

"You know mom is sick. She can't handle something like this. It might make her even worse. The shock, the pain...you can't let her see us this angry and upset."

"B-but-" Aubrey whimpered and scrubbed her eyes, swollen and tearstained. "But Daddy-"

"Don't start that again," Mal ordered. "Don't...start." He breathed in deep and closed his eyes, squeezing them shut in an attempt to clear his mind. "I know it's hard, but we just have to push through it. It's what Fallons do. Alright?"

Aubrey shuddered and managed to nod her head, quelling the rage she felt deep within herself. How could this happen? How could this happen? Tears welled up in her eyes once more, but she blinked them away quickly as Mal carefully released her.

"Come on," he murmured as he ushered her inside the hospital once more, not meeting her eyes. He seemed ashamed, yet too proud and angry to admit it. Angry at what, she wasn't sure. Jacob, Aubrey. Maybe himself. Who knew? Maybe the entire world.

They made their way into the lobby, past the receptionist, and up the elevator. It was a quiet ride, both too wet, disheveled, and upset to talk. A sharp 'ding' told them they had arrived at their floor. They exited, walked down the halls, and paused outside the door to Angela's room. Mal placed a hand on Aubrey's shoulder. "Not a word," he cautioned, then opened the door slowly. The two trudged inside, greeted by Angela's weary smile.

"Hey, Mal," she welcomed him, allowing him to lean down and plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Hi, mom," he answered, straightening and shedding his coat.

"Thanks for bringing Aubrey up here, she ran off before-Aubrey, baby, what happened?" Angela beckoned her closer worriedly, taking her face in between her cool hands and touching the red mark on her cheek.

Mal stepped in before Aubrey could say anything. "She fell on the wet concrete. Slipped before I could catch her."

Angela gave a little moan of sympathy and gathered her daughter closer to her bosom. Aubrey could only glare at Mal, rage quivering within her at the lie. He had done this. He had hurt her. He had cut off her father and lied and yelled and hit her. It was all Mal's fault. She was so confused, so absolutely lost, that she pinned the blame for everything that had happened that day upon her brother. He was the bad one.

She would never forgive him.

OoOoO

The office was quiet. The principal sat at his desk, silently perusing the paper he held in his hand. Aubrey sat in a wooden chair with one of those puffy, plastic, grotesque, flower-covered coverings on the seat. Her hands were together, fingers entwined, and she slouched backwards with an angry air.

Suddenly, the door opened with a slam and Mal stomped in, wet and soaked from the rain poring down outside. He paused, making sure he was in the right room with an uncertain air.

"Ah, Mr. Fallon. Please, have a seat." The principal gestured to the empty seat to the right of Aubrey.

Mal complied, uneasy as he might have been, and gingerly placed himself on the seat. "What's all this about?"

Principal Shapiro folded his hands and leveled his even gaze at Aubrey. "Well, Miss Aubrey, would you care to explain?"

Aubrey scoffed lightly under her breath and shrugged. "I punched a d-bag in the nose. I think it broke, too. Nearly bruised my knuckles."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "What'd he do?"

Aubrey's eyes darkened as she slumped farther back in her seat. "Touched my butt."

"Witnesses say he going for his locker, but someone knocked into him and jarred his hand, making him accidentally make contact with Aubrey," Principal Shapiro interrupted gently.

Aubrey gave an audible scoff and crossed her arms. "Please."

"Aubrey, we have a '3 Strikes, You're Out' policy here. Now, you've barely been here two weeks and you've already had one strike written off. I'm sure you can do the math."

"What will happen now, principal?" Mal questioned.

"She'll have to write out a formal apology and give it to him. She'll get a detention, probably about four hours, and she'll also have this written up." Principal Shapiro wrote something down on a piece of typed paper, then scribbled his signature. "Pleas sign here," he asked Mal, pushing the paper and pen towards the officer. He grudgingly complied, scribbling his unruly name, and returned the paper. "So can Aubrey go?"

"Yes. Her detention will be tomorrow. Aubrey, tomorrow is the last day before Thanksgiving break. Do you think you can keep out of trouble for that long?"

Aubrey bit her lip and shrugged. "As long as no-one touches my butt again."

Principal Shapiro chuckled and folded his hands. "All right. You two have a nice day."

The siblings stood up and gathered themselves together. Aubrey wasted no time in high tailing it out of the small office, with Mal walking behind her. They strode in frigid silence outside, got in the car, and peeled out of the parking lot.

It was Mal who spoke first. "You serious?"

Aubrey glared out the window of the car and didn't deign to respond.

"I had to leave work early. We were working on a really important case, and I had to pick you up. Who knows if we're gonna catch the guy anytime soon. And you better not get kicked out of school. I'm not homeschooling you, Aubrey. I can't do that, and you know it. There aren't even any other schools nearby for you to transfer to."

"I'll just be a caveman when I grow up," Aubrey quipped.

"I'm serious, Aubrey. Don't screw this up, because it's on your own head."

The two lapsed into silence. The car drove down the road, the whirrin of the gears and tires being the only sound. It continued for a few minutes, until, once again, Mal broke the silence.

"You sure you broke it?"

"Pretty sure," replied Aubrey.

Mal nodded and said no more on the matter.

Aubrey smirked and looked out the window at the passing stores and buildings. Oh, brothers.

**Yeah. Crappy chapter is crappy X3 Please review! Reviewers receive cakes made of rainbows and smiles! **


	9. Chapter 9: Of Music and Moaning

**Hi, guys! So sorry about the wait (And length). Hit a bit of writer's block, but hopefully this will tide ya'll over until next chapter, which is where the juicy stuff starts. Yey. **

**Oh, and warning: this chapter deals heavily with women's monthly problems. If that type of throws makes you uncomfortable, you might not want to read. I hope you do, though**. **Haha**.

"Hey Aubs," Mal called, stepping into the living room. Aubrey looked up from where she lounged on the couch, pushed the mute button on the tv, and swallowed her almost abnormally large bite of Captain Crunch before answering, "What?"

"Is this yours?" He held up a square iPod, silver, the nano version from a few years ago.

Aubrey nodded her head and stretched out her hand, reaching for the little thing. "Yeah. I found it at a garage sale last year. It's super beat up and stuff so I got it for, like, ten bucks."

Mal raised his eyebrows and began to scroll through her music. "Hmm...what do we have here?"

"Mal, give it back," Aubrey ordered, placing her cereal on the coffee table. She wiggled her outstretched fingers.

"Hmm...Skillet, Red, MCR...Queen? You listen to Queen?"

"It's the Bohemian Rhapsody," Aubrey groaned, flopping over to lay sprawled upon the couch. "Give. Me. My. iPod."

"Wait a minute," Mal ordered, a confused look coming upon his face. "What is this? 'Dot music'? What kind of a playlist is that?"

Aubrey snapped her face from the couch, a panicked expression coming upon her face. "No no no no, don't look at that, give it to me!" She leapt up from the couch and grabbed for it. Unfortunately, against her muscular police officer brother, she posed little threat, and Mal easily kept her at bay as he clicked the button to look at it. "Michael Bublé...Josh Groban...the Canadian Tenors...Celine Dion?" He exploded into laughter, still playing keep-away with his sister. "Aubrey, Celine Dion?"

"It's nothing," Aubrey blustered, a deep, dark red blush spreading out over her features.

"Aw, Aubrey's blushing!" Mal observed mockingly, scrolling through her songs. "My Heart Will Go On...So She Dances...When Will I Know How To Love...really, Aubrey?" He shook his head in mirth. "What does 'Dot Music' mean anyways?"

"It's 'Period Music', Mal," Aubrey answered bluntly. "That's a period."

"Okay, so 'Period Music', what does...that..." Mal's eyes widened on realization and he froze, disgust painting his features. "Oh..."

"Yeah," Aubrey snapped as she matched away the iPod. "That."

"Okay then." Mal pursed his lips, a sudden awkward air entering the room. "I'm just...uh...I'm gonna..."

"Oh, just stop talking, Mal," Aubrey ordered breezily. "You're gonna have to get used to it, bucko."

Mal suddenly turned a bit green about the mouth, and hastened away from the room. That was not a subject he wanted to talk about at the moment.

OoOoO

After a long, arduous day chasing drug dealers, catching thieves, and dealing with a certain forensic tech officer, Mal Fallon climbed the steps to his apartment wearily. Suppressing a yawn, he turned the knob on his door and opened it, unknowingly let the sound of Celine Dion's screeches come wafting outside. He slammed the door shut and paused for a second, collecting his thoughts before once more braving his own home.

Maybe it would be better to go back to the precinct.

He opened the door once more, cringing as Celine's voice hit his ears, and entered. "Aubrey?" He called as he hung up his coat. "Aubs?" Nothing. Odd...

He entered the living room. No-one. She must be in her room. He crossed to the door slowly, and, sure enough, was rewarded by sounds of heartbroken sobbing. Sobbing? "Aubrey?" He called once more, and knocked before opening the door.

The sight that met his eyes was the weirdest that he had ever seen in his life. Forget the drug busts. Forget the lairs. Forget the people thinking that they were vampires or being so high they thought they were driving after they had crashed. He was in over his head, here.

Aubrey was balled up in her covers, pillows stacked around her. Her hair was up in a messy bun, she wore sweatpants and a tanktop, and her mascara ran down her face as she sobbed wholeheartedly, a book clutched in her hands. Clothes were strewn across the floor, along with a few candy wrappers, and there was a stack of food sitting before her on the bed, consisting mostly of chocolate. Her iPod, plugged into Mal's old speakers, blasted 'My Heart Will Go On' to its fullest capability, and that, combined with Aubrey's wailing, made his ears hurt. He crossed over the danger zone-floor and turned the volume on the radio down to the barest whisper. "Aubrey, what's wrong?"

"This book!" Aubrey screeched, tears pouring down her cheeks. "This stupid book!" She shook it in his direction, eyes still devouring it, and Mal caught the title "The Book Thief".

"Why, what's-"

"Freaking Marcus Zusak, he killed off-he-Rudy and Liesel-they were supposed to-Mama Rosa-" She broke off into heartbroken sobs once more, flopping over on her side and beginning to thoroughly soak the comforter.

"Aubrey," Mal began, and uncomfortable feeling rising in his stomach, "are you...are you on your..."

"No, Mal," Aubrey snarled, "I'm just sobbing like a baby and having my torso ripped apart and being bloated because I freaking feel like it! You-" She paused, a horror-stricken expression entering her eyes. "Oh my god. I'm...I'm fat! I'm so fat! Why am I eating this? I'm fat!"

"What? You're not-"

"Shut up, Mal!" A candy bar came hurtling across the room, narrowly missing his head as he ducked. "No one cares what you think! It's your fault!"

"What?! What's my fault?!"

"Everything! This! Why would you buy this? This is junk food! Junk food makes you fat!"

"Aubrey, are you sure you're not doing drugs?"

Aubrey gasped, her lip quivering as tears welled up in her eyes. "How could you say something like that?" She whimpered. "Why would you-how could-" Suddenly, an unholy rage entered her eyes. She snatched up a pillow and flung it at him, almost hitting him. "Get out!" She bellowed. "Get out of my room! Get out, you piece of-"

"Okay, okay," Mal answered hastily, ducking as he made his hasty escape. Let it never be said that Mal Fallon disliked a fight. Most of the time, he was more than willing to duke it out with anyone willing. But, Mal also knew when to pick his battles. And that was a battle he knew he would never win.

Women.

OoOoO

It was late that night when Aubrey dared venture outside her room. Sniffing and moaning slightly, she made for the medicine cabinet, where the Ibuprofen beckoned to her silently. As she passed the coffee table in the living room, something caught her eye. A huge chocolate bar, G. I. Joe, Miss Congeniality, and a note sat quietly. She picked up the note and read,

To appease the beast. Girls on their periods like chick flicks, right? In case you didn't, got G. I. Joe for the action. Went out for an evening with the guys. See you tomorrow.

Or next week. Whenever it's safe.

She smiled slightly and picked up the movies, eyes roaming the cover of G. I. Joe. Maybe...maybe Mal wasn't too bad.

Pssh. He was still a jerk.

But kind of lovable.

Sort of.

_Oh, get a grip_, she snapped to herself. _Freaking mood swings_. And with that, she grabbed some Ibuprofen, inserted G. I. Joe into the DVD player, opened the chocolate, and enjoyed a night of chick flicks and action.

**Hope ya'll enjoyed! Please review! **


	10. Chapter 10: Of Movies and Mischief

**Hi all! I know I said this chapter would be the dramatic one...but it's not. Next chapter, I swear. And I know this is mostly dialogue, but I hope you get some laughs out of it anyways. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own CoD. **

"No, Simon."

"And whyever not?"

"Because I said so."

"It'll be fun!"

"No, Simon."

"It'll be a nice change."

"No, Simon."

"Oh, for Manwë's sake!"

"Absolutely not."

Simon groaned and flopped down onto the couch. "C'mon. Really? It's break, it's four in the afternoon. It'll be fine! Great! You'll love them!"

"I refuse to have a Lord of the Rings marathon. They're okay once every six months, one at a time, but I will not watch all three back to back, at once. Because you know why?" Aubrey hopped on the couch and pointed her index finger at Simon's nose, about an inch away from his face. "You're going to start being a little fanboy and talking in elvish and giving me all this random trivia that I don't need to know, and I'll get so fed up with it that I'll throw the remote at the tv, and I love my tv."

Simon gnawed his cheek slightly. "If I promise to keep fanboying to a minimum, and try not to annoy you, can we watch them?"

Aubrey hesitated for a second, giving Simon just the leverage he needed to wear her down. "Pleeeeease? It's been two whole weeks since I watched them. Please?" He flopped over on his side, bringing his head down on her leg and turning his big green puppy eyes to hers in such a way as to tug at her heart strings. Almost...there...he batted his eyelashes a few times, and that was it. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Fine, fine!" Aubrey exclaimed exasperatedly, throwing her arms in the air as Simon whooped and dove off the couch for the DVDs, racing to put them in the player. "Curse you, and your irresistible puppy eyes."

"You know that's right," Simon answered, clicking the play button and falling back onto the couch.

"Did you just make a Psych reference?"

"Of course I did." Simon smirked and settled backward, nestling down into the cushions.

"You're such a geek."

"Wear it loud, wear it proud."

"Don't be a smart ass."

"Don't be a gooey chocolate chip cookie."

Aubrey smacked Simon with a couch cushion. Then, while he was still spluttering from the shock, she encircled his head with her arm and proceeded to rub his head with her knuckles, giving him a noogie within an inch of his life.

In the few weeks since Aubrey and Simon had met, they had become fast friends. Even Aubrey, underneath her calloused exterior, had to admit to herself that it was nice to have someone she liked to spend time with (though she would never say it out loud). They ate lunch together, texted during class, fought, hit, laughed, and had a generally good time together. Turns out, Simon was not, in reality, a freshmen, as she had first thought, but was a sophomore like her, though he was in a few higher level classes. They were in the same English, PE, and they had the same lunch hour, though, so they happily convened during those times. What was forged then was a remarkable friendship, which had led to this, the Movie Night of Nights. Mal would be working late, Simon's mother had said it was fine, they had a ton of food, they were situated comfortably in the living room, and it was great.

Aubrey released Simon and he stopped flailing just as the opening credits graced the scene, and Simon began humming along to the notes in rapt attention.

"Simon..." Aubrey began in a warning tone, and he immediately shut up.

Aubrey sighed and settled back, picking up a few Skittles and tossing them back. She was ready to relax.

OoOoO

"Holy shit!" Aubrey screeched, scrabbling back as far as the couch cushions would allow her and launching a pillow at the tv. "What the hell was that?!"

Simon had collapsed laughing, his glasses falling off his nose as he doubled over. Tears of mirth leaked out of his eyes as he pointed a helpless finger at her. "Your...your face! Ha ha ha! That was ha ha ha priceless!" He laughed so hard he flopped onto the floor, body shaking.

Aubrey glared at Simon while, somehow, watching the screen (quite fearfully, actually, though she would never have admitted it). "What was that?" she repeated again, eyes scrutinizing the (now seemingly harmless) Uncle Bilbo, who was tearfully apologizing to Frodo after turning into a demon sent from hell. "Will it happen again?"

"No, you're good," Simon answered, picking himself off the floor and wiping away his tears. "Woo! That was great."

"Shut up, Simon."

OoOoO

Aubrey's eyebrows popped up in surprise. "Dang. What is that thing?"

"It's called a Nazgül," Simon answered, completely enthralled by the screen.

"Why did it stab Forbo?"

"Frodo," Simon amended her statement, "is carrying the Ring of Power, and the Nazgül's boss, Sauron, wants it back."

Aubrey seemed suitable impressed. "Damn. This Aracorn guy seems pretty hardcore."

"Well duh, ARAGORN is a Dunedain ranger! Of course he's hardcore." Simon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please, Aubrey. Please. Listen. You are making my stomach churn."

"Well sorrrry," she drawled. "It's not my fault the last time I watched this I was ten and half asleep."

Simon scoffed. "Please. The least you could do is at TRY to keep up with the story." He shook his head. "Woman."

"Who's this elf chick?"

"Aragorn's love interest and the daughter of Elrond, the ruler of Rivendell."

"What did she just do with the river?!"

"Watch the movie, Aubrey."

OoOoO

"I don't understand."

"Aubrey..."

"How is there snow? Just this random snow!"

"It's a mountain, Aubrey. A MOUNTAIN. It's a place of high elevation, meaning it's perfectly logical for it to be SNOWING."

"And now they're in a cave."

"The Mines of Moria."

"Oh look. The Pirates of the Caribbean."

"That is NOT a kraken."

"Hey look, it's

Jared."

"That's a trol-" Simon paused and gave a proud smile before holding out his hand for a fist bump. "Well done."

"Oh my. Aliens."

"Goblins," Simon amended her dangerously.

"Dude, what is that?!"

"A balrog," he answered, a low tone entering his voice.

...

"That's it. They can't go on without the old guy. They're all gonna die."

"Well that was unfeeling," Simon sniffed.

"It's true."

"Your heart is made of stone."

"Always."

OoOoO

"Ah, I liked that guy. It sucks he died."

"Yeah, he was pretty cool."

"And that little guy's screwed. And so are the other two."

Simon turned to peer at Aubrey. "You do realize the other two movies are about how they keep FROM getting screwed over?"

Aubrey shrugged and downed the last of her Coke. "Hey, the dead guy said it best."

"Huh?"

"One does not simply walk into Mordor."

Simon paused a minute before reaching his fist out for a fist bump. "That was well done."

"It was, wasn't it?"

"Mmm."

OoOoO

About halfway through the second movie, Aubrey stood up and dusted herself off. "I gotta go to the bathroom. Be right back."

Simon nodded by way of reply as she walked out of the room. He took out his phone, only to see it was low on battery. Remembering that he had his charger in his backpack, he stood up and crossed to his backpack, kneeling down and rummaging through it to find it in his front pocket. After finding it, as he hummed 'Concerning Hobbits', he stood up and began unlooping it.

Unfortunately, that was the precise moment that Mal walked in.

Mal Fallon, dutiful police detective, had had a long and arduous day chasing criminals and dispatching bad guys. He was tired, cranky, and not in the mood to be crossed. So when he walked into his house to find some young "crook" rummaging through (what he assumed) was his sister's backpack, he did what any self-respecting cop would do.

He whipped out his gun and pointed it at poor Simon, who had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Drop the charger," Mal barked, aiming his gun at Simon. "Get on your knees, hands on your head. Now."

"W-w-what?" Simon stammered out, dropping the charger like a hot coal and obeying slightly. "L-look, sir, I don't know-"

"Where's Aubrey? How did you get in?"

"She's in the b-bathroom," Simon managed to squeak out. "Please, I was just looking for my-"

"Shut up," Mal bit out. "What did you do to her? She'd never let a thief in."

"I'm not a thief," Simon interjected, "we were-"

"Did I say you could talk? Zip it." Mal frowned, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Stay there. Don't. Move."

Simon swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously as he did what he was told, murmuring some prayer to Manwë under his breath.

Thankfully, at this point in time, Aubrey came out of the bathroom. It was a funny sight she saw. Her brother, in the living room, was pointing a gun at the head of her only friend, who was shaking, on his knees.

"Mal!" she hollered, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I caught a thief in the house, he was rummaging through your backpack. You're welcome," Mal shot at her, tone biting. "I was just about to handcuff him and take him to the station. I thought he'd knocked you out or something."

"Please, by him? You insult me," Aubrey scoffed. She crossed to poor Simon and, gripping him by the arm, helped him up. "No, this is Simon, Mal. Simon, this is my brother." She paused, a horrified expression upon her face. "Oh my god, that sounded like an introduction before a date. Simon is my...acquaintance, from school, and we decided to have a movie night because we were bored and it is not a date," she finished decidedly.

Mal, still not thoroughly convinced, holstered his gun, allowing Simon to take a deep breath of relief. "Aubrey, much as I'm glad you're making friends, since when are you allowed to have boys over to watch movies in the dark?"

Aubrey shrugged. "Never said I couldn't. Besides, even if you said I couldn't, I'd do it anyways."

Mal sighed and rubbed his temples. He was done. Done, done, done. "You know what, I don't care. Just don't be loud, and no funny business. Got it?"

Aubrey saluted with two fingers and flopped onto the couch. "Got it."

Mal passed by Simon, pointedly not apologizing for scaring the boy. Simon, still cowering, quickly plugged in his phone before sitting on the couch.

Aubrey had one scary brother.

OoOoO

It was in the third movie, during the part where Arwen was dying and Elrond was pleasing with her to go to the West, that Aubrey and Simon found themselves somehow piled on top of each other. Aubrey had her legs in his lap, her arm haphazardly thrown on the couch behind his neck, and Simon had his foot on her stomach and was playing with her feet absentmindedly. Also, that was the time that Mal decided to exit his room. He, rubbing his eyes, walked out, caught a glimpse of the two friends, and sighed irritably.

"I said no funny business, Aubrey."

Aubrey glanced up at him. "What funny business?" she questioned, unhooking her foot from his lap and putting them on the floor. "It's just legs, Mal."

"And what does legs lead to?"

Aubrey fake gasped. "Oh my god, Mal, we're gonna have sex during the battle scene. You're right. I'm gonna go to a convent now. Forgive me father, for I have sinned!"

"Shut up, Aubrey, people are sleeping. Jesus." Mal sighed and crossed to the kitchen, taking a beer out of the fridge and opening it. "I mean it, Aubrey. Paws off."

"Why, Mal? Come one, we're just spooning." And with that, Aubrey hooked an arm over Simon and flopped onto her side, bringing him down with her with a squawk. Their bodies pressed together on the thin couch, it made Mal practically cringe.

"That is not needed."

"What's not?" Aubrey asked innocently, her fingers entwining themselves in Simon's hair.

Mal exhaled heavily, took a swig of beer, and fled to his room. As soon as the door slammed, Aubrey released Simon and sat up. "Sorry about that. Gotta irritate him when I can."

"It's cool, it's cool," Simon told her awkwardly. They started the video once more, and sat in heavy silence before Simon queried, "About that spooning-"

"Absolutely not."

"Okay."

OoOoO

"Not bad," was Aubrey's verdict when all three movies were over and done with. "Not bad."

"Not bad?!" Simon practically shrieked. "Are you kidding?! They're masterpieces!"

"Dowwwn, Bessie," Aubrey ordered, waving at him nonchalantly.

"Dishonor on you, dishonor on your family, dishonor on your cow-"

"You're a cow."

"Your mom's a cow."

"Well done."

"I try."

Aubrey sighed and tipped the rest of her water down her throat. "Well, we have time for at least one movie of my choice. Aaand I pick... Paranormal Activity. Bam."

"Nooo," Simon pled, "I don't do too well with scary movies, please, Aubrey?"

"Tough. You picked the last three. I get at least one."

"Nooo," Simon moaned, digging his face into the couch.

"Suck it."

"You suck it."

"Suck IIiiIIIiit," they chorused at the same time.

"Oh my god, I cannot believe I just did that," Aubrey stated.

"I have trained you well, my young padawan. Soon you shall come to the dark side."

Aubrey cut her eyes at him. "Put the movie in."

"Fine, fine, fine," Simon groaned, stumbling over melodramatically towards the player. "I think you should know I will hate you forever more after this."

"Fair enough," Aubrey answered cheerfully. "I'm cool with that."

OoOoO

"That...was slightly creepy," Aubrey observed carefully as the final credits rolled.

There was no answer.

"Simon?" She glanced over at the opposite end of the couch, where Simon was huddled under a blanket, murmuring something over and over again under his breath. "Simon?"

"And power, and glory, forever, amen," he finished, sighing and opening his eyes. "That was probably one of the freakiest movies I've watched. Lets do this again never."

"Good idea. Let's watch G. I. Joe. Get some mindless action."

"Sounds good."

"But first..." Aubrey held the empty popcorn bucket out. "Please?"

"Does it involve going into the dark kitchen?"

"Yes..."

"Then no. I will not be caught by a kitchen demon."

"There is no such thing as a kitchen demon, don't be silly. ...a couch demon, on the other hand..."

"I'm going, I'm going," Simon yelped, snatching the bucket and making a beeline for the kitchen. "Get in, get popcorn, get out."

Aubrey popped the movie in, sighed, and settled back into the cushions of the couch, lack of sleep finally starting to affect her. She began to drift off slowly, her eyes dropping, when she suddenly felt something cold grab her ankle and pull. She screamed, flailed, and, snatching up the nearest weapon, smashed the remote on her attacker's head. The 'demon' stood up, and, holding its head, began to laugh and groan in pain at the same time.

"Mal?!" Aubrey exclaimed, fury replacing the terror that had just seconds ago been infiltrating her very veins. "You idiot!" She raged, snatching up a pillow and smacking him. "How dare you?!"

"Your face!" Mal cackled, "that was priceless!"

Aubrey glowered as Simon made his way back into the room, holding the bag of popcorn and a steak knife at the ready. "Aubrey?" He asked uncertainly, "You okay?"

"Fine," she snapped, hitting her brother once more, "I'm fine. Go ahead and put the knife back."

"Pssh, bitch please," Simon exploded, "this knife is staying right by me."

Aubrey shrugged. "Fair enough." She pointed back towards Mal's room. "Leave. And don't come out again. Ever."

Mal obeyed, still chuckling, and the two settled back to watch the movie. Aubrey chose not to comment on the fact that Simon held the knife at the ready in his hands.

OoOoO

At 6 o clock the next morning, Mal couldn't help the slight, fond smile that overtook his lips as he surveyed the living room. Aubrey and Simon were sprawled over one another as they slept soundly. Her leg was hooked up over the couch, the other on his chest, and her arms were flung over her head. He has one foot on her stomach and the other foot set on the floor, his arms curled in protectively. They snored quietly in unison, completely out after their long night. As Mal crossed the living room floor, littered with wrappers and bits of popcorn, he stooped to pick up the discarded steak knife.

"Kids," he murmured amusedly, and couldn't resist himself from ruffling Aubrey's hair fondly.

Sometimes, when she wasn't irritating his brains out...it wasn't too hard being an older brother.

**Please review for me! **


	11. Chapter 11: Of Kai-anators and Clashing

**Sorry about the wait, y'all! I went to DC this weekend and I didn't have much time to write. I have been planning this chapter since the beginning. Hold on to your hats, guys! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own CoD. **

**OoOoO**

"Get dressed by 2," Mal gave the farflung order as he poked his head into Aubrey's room. She lifted her head from where she sprawled on her bed, comforter piled around as she typed out something on her old, battered laptop she had found at a garage sale a year ago.

"Huh?" she questioned, her tired, not-yet-used voice cracking at the ungodly hour of 10 o'clock in the morning.

"We're going out to Amy's this afternoon for Thanksgiving. Remember?"

Aubrey flopped her head down, burying it in the blanket. "Do I have to?" she moaned. "Go ahead without me. I'll be fine. I like eating pop tarts and watching reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Please. Feel no pity!"

Mal simply shot her a scathing glare. "We are leaving no later than two fifteen. And try to wear something other than black."

Aubrey sent a withering stare in reply. "There is nothing wrong with black!"

Mal didn't deign to answer, simply slammed the door and left.

In the past day or two, their bickering had started to escalate. Mal had been extremely on edge, for some reason (she guessed it had to do with a case involving three high-ranking political figures whose children had been kidnapped), so that meant the Aubrey was high-strung as well, and soon they couldn't go ten minutes without an argument erupting. It made for a very unhappy household. She had no idea why Mal was so set on her going to Amy's, but she knew she didn't want to go.

Still, she heaved herself up and went to take a shower, grumbling all the way. The warm water soothed her muscles and provided a cheerier atmosphere, however, which served to calm her down at least a small bit. She, after taking a ludicrously long wash, stepped out and got dressed in a green, loose shirt and black skinny jeans, her silent rebellion against Mal's order. Still, she deigned to twist and pin back the sides of her hair in a way which, she supposed, made her look nice, and did her makeup. All in all, she didn't look half bad.

It being 1:30, meaning she still had 45 minutes, she decided to go grab something to eat. She stepped out into the living room and Mal looked up from where he lounged on the couch. His eyebrows popped upwards when he caught sight of her. "Whoa, where's Aubrey?" he questioned, earning a grumble and a middle finger from his obliging younger sister. She grabbed a bowl of cereal before changing her mind and opting for a pop tart, not wanting to spill on her clothes.

By the time she had finished her food, it was time to leave, and after she slipped on a pair of black Converse and grabbed her purse, the pair made their way to the car. As the car rumbled to life and they took off, Mal turned to Aubrey. "Please, please don't embarrass me today," he begged.

"I don't know, I find it quite exhilarating."

"Not kidding, Aubrey. This is the only big day you'll be here for, thankfully, so it won't kill you to be nice for once. Everyone and their families are gonna be there, and I'd like to at least appear normal. Got it?"

"Then why are you bringing me?"

Mal sighed angrily. "Because that's what nice people do, they being their families. I'm one of the top detectives, I need to set a good example."

"That's no fun."

"Aubrey..."

"Okay, okay, yeesh! I'll try."

"You'd better," Mal snapped, as they turned the corner to the street where Amy lived.

As they pulled up outside her house and Mal gave Aubrey a last warning glare, Aubrey began to wonder if this was a mistake, big mistake, or colossal mistake.

OoOoO

This was a colossal mistake.

Aubrey sighed and swirled her cup in a bored fashion, the Dr. Pepper inside making bubbles. Around her, people talked and laughed merrily, drinking beer and having a good old time. Unfortunately, that meat Aubrey didn't have anyone to talk to. An hour and a half had already passed, and she was bored out of her mind. She downed the rest of her soda and stood up, making her way to the drink station to grab herself another. There she met Kai, gleefully making some strange concoction.

"What are you doing, Kai?" she asked, having a feeling she would regret it.

"Making the Kai-inator," he replied matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious.

"And what goes into the Kai-inator?"

"Everything." Kai dumped a fraction of a Dr. Pepper and a fraction of a Corona beer into the cup and stirred quickly.

"Everything?"

"Exactly. Everything. You take one of every drink wherever you are, and put a little of everything in. It's always changing. Sometimes it's a medley of flavors, and sometimes it's just water." Kai sighed and sipped the drink before making a face of pure ecstasy. "Oh, that's a good one."

Aubrey was slightly intrigued, and held her hand out. Kai looked at her like she had suggested letting the bubonic plague loose in a populated area. "You want a taste?"

Aubrey nodded, and Kai hesitated a second before handing it to her. "Just a little."

Aubrey swirled and then downed a sip. It wasn't so bad for the first half second, then her throat was bombarded with a burning sensation more potent than anything she'd ever had before (and she'd had some strong stuff). She spat it out in a spray that landed right in Kai's face and shoved the cup back into his hand, snatching up a Pepsi and downing it within seconds. Gasping, she drew her hand across her mouth, getting rid of all evidence of the putrid drink.

"So..." Kai tapped his fingers together. "Did you like it?"

Aubrey stopped and deadpanned disgustedly, not sure if he was serious or not. "Are you kidding me?"

Kai shrugged and lifted the cup to his lips, slurping up a swallow. "Tastes good to me."

Aubrey snatched up a soda and turned on her heel, marching away.

A colossal mistake.

OoOoO

Aubrey pinched her lips together and studied everyone else who was sitting down at the table. The table was set, food placed upon it, and everyone was engaged in conversation as they waited for the food. Aubrey's stomach growled hungrily, and she pressed a hand over it and forced herself to think on other things.

For some strange reason, she was sitting next to Mal, who was talking to a pretty blonde woman. She seemed a bit ditzy, to Aubrey, and she wouldn't have paid any attention to them except that she caught her name. "Wait, so how did Aubrey come live with you?"

Mal gave a chuckle and settled back in his seat. "Well, after my mother died-" Aubrey noticed he didn't mention their father, who was rotting in prison somewhere (presumably, unless he escaped again) "-she went to go live with my sister Cynthia. But Cynthia's husband's mother's been having some trouble, and Cynthia didn't know what to do with Aubrey, so I offered to let her stay with me."

The ditzy blonde girl smiled and went off on some spiel about how "what a great brother you are" and "she's so lucky to have you" etcetera, etcetera.

Aubrey turned away, anger bubbling up in her stomach. How dare he?! That jerk! He didn't want her, Cynthia had to twist his arm to get him to take her! Ugh. She rolled her eyes. Whatever. She'd let him flirt or do whatever he was doing, if he wanted to (even though she could feel Natara's eyes watching him). Let him be an idiot.

Not like it was new, or anything.

OoOoO

They were about halfway through their meal when Ken stood up and, tapping on his glass with his spoon, began to speak. "Well, girls and boys," he began, "happy thanksgiving!"

"Happy thanksgiving!" everyone (minus Aubrey) chorused in reply.

"I'd like to take a moment to recognize someone right now," Ken continued. "He's an extremely important figure in the department. He's one of the best detectives on the force, has saved my life on more than one occasion, and has the most trustworthy gut I've ever seen." At this, Mal ducked his head modestly and Aubrey had to suppress a groan. Oh, no. Please no. "But on top of that, he's one of the best men I've ever had the privilege of being a friend of. He knows everyone in the precinct by name and I've never seen him pass up a chance to talk to anyone, unless he's off chasing some baddie. He's such a good guy, he offered to let his sister stay with him while Cynthia had to go off and help Mitch's mom." Aubrey's eyes widened and she slowly turned her head to look at Mal, who was conveniently looking away. "Detective Mal Fallon, I'm sure I speak for us all when I say we are very, very thankful for you and your service." The gathered people erupted in applause, and Mal waved them away, smiling and denying them their praise.

Aubrey couldn't believe it. That...that... Words couldn't describe her contempt for her brother. That he would whine and complain about having to take her in, then turn and make himself out to be the glorious older brother made her sick. In front of a girl was one thing. The entire precinct, however, was another. Suddenly, she couldn't stomach being near him. She pushed her food away and shoved her chair backwards, standing up and tossing her napkin on the table.

"Woah, woah, where are you going?" Mal questioned, turning towards her.

"I need some air," she snarled, and stalked outside to Amy's front porch. She gripped the railing, overlooking the street whilst boiling in her fury. Her stomach twisted in anger, but with a touch of...hurt? Yes, hurt, though she hated to admit it. It hurt to know that he used her just to put on a good face, while privately wanting her to leave. It really, really, stung.

Aubrey growled and slammed her finger against the wood of the railing. It seemed the only fitting vent for her rage, and he would have done it again if Mal hadn't come out. She heard the door slam, and turned to see Mal stomping towards her.

"Aubrey, what the hell was that?!" he exclaimed.

"I dunno, want to explain what that was?" Aubrey answered, crossing her arms. "You 'offered' to take me in?"

Mal scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. "Face, Aubrey, face. Sure, I know full well that it's not the truth, but the department expects an image that I need to uphold."

Aubrey threw her hands in the air. "Oh, so I'm being used for your stupid face? Oh, how kind that the great and mighty Mal Fallon chooses to use me to save himself! How honorable! How kind!"

"Stop being childish," Mal ordered. "It's the least you could do after I opened my home-"

"Now stop right there," Aubrey ordered, pointing a finger at his chest. "You didn't open your home. Cynthia had to twist your arm and make you let me stay. You weren't obliging. You didn't want- and still don't- want me here at all!"

"With good reason!" Mal countered, "Because I knew this would happen, I knew it! You'd stick your nose into my life, and get up all in my business, and be an irritating little brat, and guess what? That's what happened."

"You're nothing but an egotistical douchebag!"

"And you're nothing but a petty little idiot!"

Aubrey glowered at Mal, her hands clenched into fists. "Oh, why don't you go tell that to the people in there?"

"Well they've probably already heard it, no thanks to you," Mal snapped.

"I'm not the one yelling, may I remind you."

Mal threw his arms in the air, half-turning around before placing them on his hips. He swiveled back to face her. "You know, just once, could you be a little grateful? This is Thanksgiving after all."

"Grateful for what?" Aubrey snorted.

"I give you food, I let you stay in my house. The time I've invested in you-"

"Hold. The hell. Up," Aubrey snarled, nostrils flared. "The time you've invested in me?"

Mal paused for a second, confused, before nodding. "I know I haven't been the best about keeping up with you, but I-"

"I hadn't seen you in 5 years before I came to this hellhole. 5 years, Mal. I was ten. And before that, it was a year. And before that, 6 months. And before that, another 6 months. You never cared about spending time with me! What could possibly make you think you've invested in me?! You've left it all to Cynthia!"

Mal gritted his teeth before answering, a hard look in his eyes. "Aubrey, you've got to understand, I was going through a rough time when you went to go live with Cynth, and I got busy, and-"

"Too busy to see your own family?" Aubrey could only stare at him in complete and utter disbelief. "Too busy to drop in for a quick hello once a week?"

"Okay, yeah, maybe it wasn't the best thing to do, but you have got to understand, Aubrey, I was walking a really fine line, and I didn't know if seeing any of you all would hurt my-"

"Job?" Aubrey questioned. "Hurt your job?" At Mal's uncomfortable stare at the floor, she scoffed loudly. "Geez. You know what, I always thought that it was because you hated us or something. I guess I never realized it was because you were a coward."

Mal's gaze shot up heatedly, and he leapt to defend himself.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. And don't you dare go calling me a-"

"Coward, coward, coward!" Aubrey yelled at him, fists clenching together. "You're one big fat damn coward, Mal Fallon! You desert your family You can't face your family or the fact that our father got carted off to prison. And that he's a low-down dirty criminal or that our family fell apart or that you left us to save your job, and your face! A coward! But you know what?" Her nostrils flared in anger, her teeth ground together before she continued. "We're all cowards. Dad's a coward, and Cynthia's a coward, and guess what? I'm a coward too! I'm a coward because I never told you how much I hate you! I never told you how much I despise you! I never told you how much I hate this family! The only one who isn't a coward is mom, and she's dead!" She finished savagely, her voice rising.

"You know what I've never told you? I've never told you how hard it is to be a cop in dad's shadow," Mal retorted in response, his voice rising to match Aubrey's. "I never told you how much I don't want to see the family, because I knew this would happen! I knew it! Everyone blames me for dad being a scumbag, and I can't-" he paused and looked away before trying again. "All we ever did was fight anyways whenever I went back, Cynthia and I, and that husband of hers, and-"

"So Cynthia was the reason you never came back? What about me?"

"I knew you were in good hands, so I thought that-"

"It was okay to leave me?" Aubrey's voice went quiet. "You thought it was okay to leave a seven year old alone after her daddy got carted away and her mommy died?"

Mal swallowed. "Cynthia took good care of you, and I knew that she would give you what you needed."

"She never gave me time," Aubrey answered him. "She never had enough time to spare, between Denni and Raven and Mitch. And the only thing that kept me going was the thought that my brother was gonna come back for me, and guess what? He never did!"

"Aubrey-"

"Do you know what it's like to hold your mommy's hand when she died? Do you know what it's like to try and break your dad free of handcuffs? Oh, I'm sorry," she snapped, "that's right. You left him in the dust. Just like you leave every body else."

"Now, hold on. I do not leave everybody behind."

"Where were you when I won my first award in first grade? Where are you when I was learning to ride without training wheels? Where were you when I didn't have any friends? Where were you when I had my first fight? Where were you when I got suspended? Where were you, where were you, where were you?!" she shouted at him, her voice growing steadily louder.

"I...I didn't think that..."

"I went anorexic because of you, Mal!" she screamed at him.

Mal's eyes widened in shock and he stepped back, not knowing what to say. The silence expanded, growing and growing until it was about to pop. Angry tears sparked in her eyes, but she blinked them away, not willing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"So don't think, for one second," she growled out, "that I've been okay. And don't think that I care about you anymore. Don't think that I don't hate you. Because I do."

"Listen, Aubs," Mal answered, "I didn't know that all that...happened, okay? It hasn't exactly been easy for me either. You're not the only one who got hurt in all this, okay?"

"Oh, don't give me the sappy speech," Aubrey scoffed, and a spark of anger rose in Mal's eyes.

"You know, you don't think of anyone besides yourself, do you? I'm sorry all that happened, but I lost a mom too, okay? And your attitude certainly doesn't help anything, so can you just stop it?"

"You know when I first started hating you?" Aubrey asked, an unhealthy chuckle building in her throat. "I was six years old, and I ran down to give my dad a picture I drew, and when I tried to free him, you dragged me away and told me we should hate him. And you slapped me and told me to pretend like nothing ever happened." She glared at him. "And you wonder why I call you a coward."

"Now hold on a second," Mal ordered, pointing a finger at her, "I wanted to cover it up for mom, okay, for mom, and dad is a dirty crook who I do hate, and you should too, and you wouldn't come when I told you too-"

"I was trying to help!"

"-And you were yelling at me and I didn't know what to do and we were getting to the hospital and I needed to shut up, which you clearly haven't gotten skilled at, so don't go yelling at me for things that I have no power over, because you've always blamed me for everything, even though its not my fault, and I'm getting really goddam tired of it!" His hand gestilated widely in the air, and Aubrey flinched back involuntarily, visions of another time, years ago, when his hand had done the exact same thing with different consequences flashing before her eyes.

Mal stilled when he saw the effect that his hand had had upon Aubrey, and he faded into silence. She turned away from him, and he slowly reached out a hand to touch her shoulder. "Aubrey..."

"Don't touch me," she snapped, and jerked her arm away. "Why don't you go back to your stupid party. I'm sure they're missing their all-important detective."

Mall nodded and withdrew his hand. He turned and walked back to the door and placed his hand upon the knob. He paused and said, "Aubrey, I-"

"Tell them I'm feeling sick and I'm going home," she ordered without giving him a chance to continue.

Mal knew it was no use contesting her, so he nodded once, sharply, and entered the house without saying anything else. Aubrey grit her teeth, and, anger welling up within her, slammed her fist into the wall. Once, twice, thrice, and the skin on her knuckles burst open. She hissed in pain as blood welled up over the cracks in her skin. It dropped onto the ground, leaving little red splatters, and she put her back against the wall and slid down to the ground. More tears pinpricked her eyes, and she squeezed them as tight as she could. She leaned her head back against the wall and tried desperately not to cry.

She would have been unsuccessful, had it not been for the sound of the door opening and gentle footsteps upon the porch. She opened her eyes and was about to jump up when Natara appeared around the corner and smiled at her sympathetically. "Stay down, stay down," she said, and joined Aubrey on the ground. Aubrey tried to move her hand away so it wouldn't be seen, but it was too late. Natara's eyebrows furrowed and she gently took it in her hand.

"That doesn't look good," she stated. "Hold a second." She rummaged around in her picks and came up with some tissues, wipes, and band aids.

"I always have a few with me," she said in response to Aubrey's questioning stare. "Here. Put this on." Aubrey dabbed the blood away with the tissues, wiped it clean with the wipe (sucking in her breath at the sting) and placed the band aids on it. Natara smiled brightly at the sight of it. "There. All better."

Aubrey was too upset to muster more than a half-smile, and Natara's faded. She sighed and said, "You know, Aubrey, I understand that you're hurting. Mal told me some of what happened, and it's tragic and horrible and should not have happened. But Mal really is a good guy. He really does care about you, and the rest of the family."

Aubrey scoffed.

"I'm serious. He does. He may not show it in the conventional way, but he cares about you. I know you both have a lot of pain to wade through, but...just...keep that in mind, okay?" Natara patted Aubrey's shoulder gently and stood up, brushing off her pants. "I'll see you later."

Aubrey nodded Anderson her go. As she was about to go inside, however, she said, "Natara?"

"Yes?"

"...thanks."

Natara grinned. "No problem." She opened the door and entered, leaving Aubrey alone. The teen flexed her hand, feeling the band aids crackle, and stood up. She went inside and grabbed her purse from by the door. She paused to watch Mal interact with Ken and a few others, just being able to see him through the doorway to the dining room from the living room. Ken was telling him something, and he was laughing and smiling. But when Ken talked to someone else, and the attention was diverted from him, Mal glanced down into his beer, a sad expression in his eyes. Aubrey's features softened as he downed the drink and placed it on the table before rubbing his temples.

She almost felt like she should go to him, but she chose to shoulder her purse and exit the door, closing it carefully. She walked down the porch steps and stepped onto the sidewalk, heading for the nearest bus stop.

And as she walked, it began to rain.

**OoOoO**

**I know Mal looks like the bad guy, but we'll get some explanations next chapter. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12: Of Apple Juice and Apologies

**Hello, everyone. I apologize for the wait, and it's a bit of a short chapter but I thought that'd be a good place to stop. I hope you like it anyways haha **

**Okay, is anyone else reeeeally pissed off at the writers right now? No! No no no jerechen or amebird or whatever it's called, Blaise just broke up with him, NO! Blaisebird is where it's at, fool! Ugh I'm just so mad at them. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own this infuriating yet amazing game. **

**OoOoO**

She heard the door shut around 9. Though she was huddled up in a cocoon of covers, and she could tell Mal was trying to mask his movements, it was still painfully obvious that he had entered the dwelling. She nestled deeper into her covers and prayed that he would just go to bed and let her be, not wanting to deal with him. Even though she had taken another shower and gotten toasty warm, noticeably improving her mood after that debacle earlier and getting soaked in the downpour, she wasn't prepared to talk to him. It just wasn't going to happen.

Her prayers seemed to go unanswered, however, and she heard the creak of footsteps on the carpet. His shadow was visible, just underneath her door, and she held her breath. He hesitated, however, and after a painful few seconds moved away. She let out a sigh of relief and closed her eyes. She did not, did not, did not want to talk to him.

She honestly felt bad about it, a little bit. Come on, they had just had their worst fight they'd ever had and she wasn't even willing to give him any closure on it. Still, a fierce bubble of anger burned in her stomach, and it poisoned her attitude towards him. So she stayed cocooned in her bed and watched the Walking Dead and tried to push away the feeling that maybe, just maybe, it was her fault too.

OoOoO

Mal wearily entered the house, peeling off his jacket and laying it on the kitchen table without a second glance. He rubbed his unruly hair, now stuck to his head by the torrential rain that he hadn't been able to avoid even by car, kicked off his shoes, and sighed heavily. Well, that day had just gone horribly awry. All he had wanted was...well, fine. He couldn't lie to himself. He really had pretty much wanted Aubrey there just to set a good example for the rest of the officers, particularly those under him. Still, there was a small part of him that really did just want to feel like a normal family again. He had such good memories of their family before his dad had been convicted; of picnics, and thanksgiving dinners, and happiness.

He wasn't happy.

His family was...less than satisfactory. And not entirely their fault, either. He had pushed them away and contributed mightily to the way that they had grown apart. But he missed them, and it frustrated him that Aubrey was such a pain in the ass, and it hurt to know that he had helped to form her that way.

He wanted to fix it, he really did. But the walls he had put up were keeping him in, and keeping her out. And it seemed no matter how hard he tried, her walls pushed him away too, and he didn't react well to it.

They were a ticking time bomb, and Mal didn't know if they'd ever be defused.

He mustered the gumption up to attempt talking to her, and crossed to her room. It was quiet, and the light was off, so he assumed that she was asleep. Still, his hand raised itself in a position to knock on the door, ready to pour himself out in apologies and right the wrongs that had been committed against her.

But he couldn't.

Mal, Mal Fallon, stubborn, stupid, hard headed Mal Fallon, couldn't do it. He let his fist fall away limply and stayed standing, numb, for a few seconds before he turned away and walked to the fridge to get a beer.

He failed. And he hated himself for it.

OoOoO

At around eleven, Aubrey paused the Walking Dead and exited her room for a drink, tiptoeing past the couch where it looked like Mal was asleep. Well, only the back of his head was visible, but the way he didn't stir or make a sound convinced her he wasn't awake. Which was fine by her.

She carefully opened the fridge and took out a small bottle of apple juice, shutting it and creeping away. She was halfway behind the couch, almost to her room, when Mal spoke, making her jump slightly.

"Thought you were asleep."

Aubrey, a small bubble of irritation rising from being scared, answered perhaps a bit more snippishly than needed. "I'm not. Watching the Walking Dead."

Mal nodded and brought his beer can up to his mouth, taking a swig. Aubrey noticed the three empty beer cans around him, and her stomach jolted. Had he been drinking since he got home?

"Mal, have you been drinking since you got here?" she inquired.

Mal shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"You didn't even try."

"How do you know?"

Aubrey fell silent and shook her head. She didn't want to deal with this. She didn't have to. She resumed her walking again, reaching her door and putting a hand on the knob when she was interrupted again.

"Aubrey, can I ask you something?"

She gave a small huff of annoyance and, without turning around, answered, "What?"

"...Are you still anorexic?"

She paused in surprise, almost turning around but stopping herself. "Mal, I eat all the time."

"Could be bulimic."

"No, I'm not. That was..." Aubrey sighed, turned around, and hesitantly headed for the couch. She plopped onto the cushion furthest away from him before continuing. "That was only for a little while. A few months. I was thirteen, and I had this friend. Well, she wasn't really a friend. We hung out and sat together and stuff, but I didn't really like her and she didn't like me. She was fat. Not a whole lot of people liked her, so I guess she settled for me, and I didn't really care. It was kind of nice to have someone to at least talk to. Anyway, she turned anorexic and got really skinny. Apparently it worked, because she got a boyfriend, and of course she never hung out with me again. But...I wondered if I did that, I'd get someone to hang out with. So I did. It kind of worked, too...but then I realized just how much I irk people, and just how much they irk me. So I quit. And decided that I don't need people." She sighed and traced a pattern in the couch material. "I dunno...I guess I just wanted someone to notice me...I mean, Cynthia's fine, but she has her hands full looking out for Greg and Raven and Denni. When's she gonna have a lot of time for me? And mom died, and dad was gone, and you..." She swallowed around the lump in her throat. "You stopped coming around, and I just wanted..."

"To feel loved," Mal finished for her.

"God, Mal, that sounds so cheesy when you put it that way," Aubrey scoffed. "But...yeah, I guess."

Mal looked away, gritting his teeth, before he snapped, "Sonuvabitch," and launched his empty beer can at the opposite wall.

"Mal, stop, I'm fine, okay? I'm fine, I don't care, I'm peachy-"

"No, you're not!" Mal exploded, leaping up from the couch and turned violently to face her. "You're not okay! You're arrogant, and stubborn, and you hate people, and you push them away, and it's all my fault! You're a little shit, okay, and you shouldn't be, because if you had gotten the attention and care that you needed then you wouldn't feel the need to act like this!"

Aubrey jumped up to face him, pointing a finger at his chest angrily. "Now listen here, I made my choices, okay, me, and no one else dictates what goes on in my life, and I'm past all that-"

"No you're not, because if you were you wouldn't hate me! And I don't blame you for doing that!"

Aubrey's eyebrows popped up in surprise. What had he just said?

"I'm sorry, Aubrey, I'm so sorry, and nothing I do can erase the fact that I am a horrible older brother. You're right, okay? I am a dick, and I try too hard to impress people, and I've broken up the family, and I am a coward, okay? I am a coward!"

Aubrey could only watch his outburst in disbelief. He must have been totally drunk, or possessed, or something, because the Mal Fallon she knew would never do something like this...would he?

"I broke up this family because I was afraid, and I'm still afraid, and I'm pretty sure I'll always be afraid, and that's-" he flopped back into the couch, putting his head in his hands and slumping over, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Of what?" Aubrey whispered, at a loss for what to do. She had never seen Mal so vulnerable before, and it was slowly melting away the ice within her chest that he was finally willing to do something like it, willing to brings his walls tumbling down in front of her.

"Of people hurting me like dad did, or worst of all...hurting other people. I can't let them down, Aubrey, I can't, and every time I try not to it just ends up happening over again, and I thought maybe...maybe if I wasn't around you I'd keep you safe from that. And when I saw you at the station, and saw what happened to you...I didn't want you around because I saw what you became, and I knew, I knew, I knew it was my fault, and I didn't want to be reminded of it...I'm so, so, sorry." He fell silent, exhaling deeply to steady his heaving breaths.

Aubrey could only stare, tears sparking in her eyes. All this time she had thought he hated her...when he'd been trying to protect her. And she'd blocked him out, even when he'd tried to come closer, and reacted when he'd pushed her away, and... She bit her bottom lip, and, in a gesture completely out of the ordinary, having no idea where it came from, she crossed to him and knelt down beside him. Placing her hands on the side of his head, she gently lifted it upwards. His cerulean, tormented eyes met her own, and she whispered, "All I want is a big brother, Mal. I don't need...want...a perfect one."

His eyes filled with tears, and without any further conversation he gathered her in his arms, giving her the biggest bear hug she had received in a long, long while. She squeezed her eyes shut against the wetness in her own eyes and hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder, the forgotten apple juice rolling away merrily.

They stayed that way for a long, long time.

**OoOoO**

**Please review for me. Please? *insert puppy dog eyes here***


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